The war in Lebanon succeeded in bringing Iran's aggressive regional ambitions to the world's attention, a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said.
For that reason Israel counted the war a victory, even though its enemy, Hezbollah, had not been neutralised, said Dr Ra'anan Gissin, who recently resigned as one of Olmert's advisers. Gissin is visiting South African to address the South African Zionist Federation and other Jewish organisations.
Gissin also dismissed the widespread criticism that Israel's response had been disproportionate to the provocation. Israel razed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and killed over 1 000 people in response to Hezbollah's killing of eight and capturing of two Israeli soldiers and firing of rockets into Israel that eventually killed nearly 200 Israelis.
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Gissin said Israel's response had to be seen in the light of the "asymmetry" between Israel and Hezbollah and its other enemies.
| 'We are an endangered species' |
"They aim to destroy us. We don't want to win any wars against the Arab world. We just want to be left alone. We are like elephants in your Kruger National Park.
"We seem docile but if you wound us we can go crazy because we are an endangered species."
Gissin called Israel's attack on Lebanon a "pre-emptive defensive strike" against Iran and Syria's initiative to use Hezbollah as a proxy to take over southern Lebanon and to destroy Israel.
He said Israeli intelligence had detected earlier this year, when Syria and Iran signed a mutual defence pact, that they had decided the time was ripe to unleash a "tsunami" against Israel. But Iran and Syria's plans had not yet ripened when Hezbollah raided Israel, so Israel had caught them off guard and "unravelled their plans".
Gissin admitted Israeli society was still intensely debating the pros and cons of the war in Lebanon. But he said Israel had at least sensed the message: "Don't mess with us."
On Monday the South African government condemned Israel's arrest of Palestine's Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Shaer, and the Secretary General of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr Al Ramahi in Gaza.
- This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Times on August 22, 2006
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