To the editor:
I've rarely, if ever, read an op-ed as delusional as Ali Jarbawi's "Israel’s Lessons From the Gaza Wars." He has perhaps one thing right: "This was the third war against Gaza since 2008. And it won’t be the last, unless the proper lessons are learned." Unfortunately, the lessons he thinks should be learned are essentially to repeat the mistakes of the past.
One key mistake we should not repeat is abet the rebuilding of the (terror) infrastructure in Gaza. Let us be wise enough to not pour more billions into Gaza if we do not first ensure it is demilitarized. If that is not done, then any rebuilding will be destroyed again, in the next war.
Jarbawi claims the way to reach peace is for Israel to enable the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state, but he ignores the reality that Israel has agreed to one many times, only to have the Arabs reject establishing one. Israel seems to want a Palestinian Arab state more than the Arab leadership does, as the latter continues to demonstrate it is far more interested in making sure the Jewish state does not endure.
Sincerely,
Alan Stein