Have I not been saying this for two years?

Cameron Brown writes in the Jerusalem Post:

When Hizbullah poured gasoline onto the fire by attacking soldiers on the country’s northern border with Lebanon, the sentiment became absolute: Unilateral withdrawals have only weakened the country’s deterrence and undermined the security of the state.

Yet, the last week in particular has demonstrated that these unilateral withdrawals have not been all bad. By withdrawing to an internationally recognized border in both instances, Israel has basically eliminated any self-doubt about the legitimacy of its right to use force – even overwhelming force – when attacked. No longer does half the country wonder if we could have avoided bloodshed by “ending the occupation.” Instead, the country’s citizens are as united as ever in their determination to repel and punish those who attack us, even if it means bearing the brunt of hundreds of missile attacks in the process.

In short, by unifying the ranks and eliminating self-doubt, withdrawing to recognized borders has in many ways actually bolstered Israel’s core security.

He then adds:

ALL THIS IS not to suggest that the opponents of these withdrawals were entirely mistaken either. As many claimed at the time of the Gaza withdrawal, if one listens to what is being said in the Arab and Muslim world, it is undeniable that the lesson drawn from Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon has been that violence against Israel may yet prove effective.

While some, like Fatah’s Marwan Barghouti, thought in terms of using violence to force the country to withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank, others like Hamas and Hizbullah became emboldened in their belief that through the interminable use of brutal violence, they could one day even cause the country to cease to exist.

Hassan Nasrallah, the charismatic leader of Hizbullah, in particular has often argued that Israel’s citizens are fatigued, and that the country’s unwillingness to suffer casualties makes its technologically superior military just a paper tiger.

It was this mistaken understanding on the part of Hizbullah and Hamas about why Israel withdrew from Lebanon and Gaza that underlay their strategic miscalculations and led them to kidnap IDF soldiers.

In other words, the Right is correct when it says these withdrawals created the atmosphere which led to the current fighting.

But his point?

Given the way in which Israelis are responding to this war, it seems that we underestimated exactly how important it is to have a clear conscience.

Sure, sure, I write for free for fun and pleasure ( 🙄 ) but others get paid to come up with this stuff which you, dear reader, get to see here first.