I will explain to you the ends and means of Israel against Hamas in Gaza. General Camporini speaks
“The current Israeli government of national unity doesn't care much about international pressure and pursues the goal of demonstrating to its population that this time it will go all the way.” Conversation with General Vincenzo Camporini, former chief of staff of the Defense and Air Force
“The so-called Infowar also proved to be a crucial variable in influencing the conflict in this circumstance”. This is said by General Vincenzo Camporini , former chief of staff of the Defense and Air Force, who in this interview with Start Magazine explains Israel's strategy in its war against Hamas and the lessons we can draw from the tragic events of 7 October .
Ground operations in Gaza have begun. What does it mean for Israel, in military terms, to destroy Hamas?
Eliminating Hamas means focusing on two components: the military and the political. The ongoing operations are aimed at destroying the military wing of Hamas. Israel now intends to carry out targeted actions through the entry of its men into Gaza territory for a limited period in order to identify and neutralize Hamas command centers, logistical ones, and the tunnel network. These targets are in the sights, plus of course the Hamas operators, the soldiers.
How are these objectives identified?
A wise and accurate intelligence work is necessary, which also serves to regain the credibility lost after the failure to prevent the attack of 7 October. The intelligence naturally also serves to eliminate the second component, the political one, and therefore the leadership of Hamas, which is careful not to share the same living conditions with the Palestinians, and which is found in the golden refuges of Qatar and other countries .
And what should be done to eliminate these objectives?
We must resort to the methods that Israel has resorted to other times in the past. We all remember what happened to the members of Black September after they kidnapped and killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It is very likely, however, that it will take months if not years. This type of approach may be repugnant to our consciences, but it is the only one capable of getting to the root of the problem.
However, Israel is being asked to fight almost with one arm tied because the civilians of Gaza are involved. How can he implement his plans in these conditions?
The current Israeli government of national unity doesn't care much about international pressure and pursues the goal of demonstrating to its population that this time it will go all the way. As for fighting with one arm tied, Israel is once again demonstrating a great ability to use the technology at its disposal, with the use of precision weapons employed in such a way as to comply with international laws, avoiding collateral damage. And if there is damage, the fault lies with those who prevented the evacuation of civilians, preferring to use them as human shields.
However, the accusation made by many quarters against Israel is that of bombing indiscriminately. Are we sure that Israel's operations are surgical operations?
In the past, Israel has amply demonstrated that it possesses detailed and timely information on the location of its targets. I hear many commentators even denouncing Israel's crimes against humanity. I doubt whether these gentlemen have ever read a treatise on international law, because if they had they would know very well that there is no code of things that can or cannot be done. If anything, there are conventions that are widely interpretable. But that's not the only rant I've heard.
What did he hear?
I hear that Israel's response is not proportional to the damage suffered. But the concept of proportionality in the context of military operations does not refer to what has been suffered, but rather to what one wants to achieve. Obviously, if I want to neutralize a nest of machine guns, the use of nuclear weapons would be disproportionate, but it is also not true that if someone gives me a slap I only have to respond with a slap.
In short, what can and what should Israel do after what it suffered on October 7?
Let's start by saying that the attacks on Israel did not begin on October 7th. Even before, the litany of rockets fired from Gaza into Israeli territory was a daily occurrence, albeit with very limited effectiveness given the presence of the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Guterres is absolutely right when he says that the October 7 massacre did not arise out of nowhere: it arose from aggression against which Israel had and has every right to defend itself. Arguing that Israel does not have the right to defend itself to eliminate this threat against its territory effectively means having doubts about who has ownership of this territory.
Can terrorism be defeated militarily?
Terrorism can also be defeated with military means, but above all with intelligence and political action. A combined approach is needed. A wise strategist calibrates the use of his means based on the conditions and the result he wants to achieve. The military instrument is only one of the means available.
What lesson did the events of October 7 teach us?
The main lesson concerns the power of the cyber weapon, i.e. the cyber dimension and above all the information one. We are in fact witnessing the triumph of a narrative that is propagated with great effectiveness and which has also inflamed the Western streets. The so-called infowar also proved to be a crucial variable in influencing the conflict in this circumstance.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/vi-spiego-fini-e-mezzi-di-israele-contro-hamas-a-gaza-parla-il-generale-camporini/ on Sun, 29 Oct 2023 08:02:45 +0000.