Israel needs a plan for what to do after a potential invasion of Gaza, Representative Seth Moulton, who served four tours as a US Marine in Iraq, warned Wednesday.
(Bloomberg) — Israel needs a plan for what to do after a potential invasion of Gaza, Representative Seth Moulton, who served four tours as a US Marine in Iraq, warned Wednesday.
“If Israel thinks they’re just going to fight their way to peace, I’m sorry, but they’re wrong,” Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in an interview. “You cannot have long-term success in a counterinsurgency if you don’t win over friends and allies, and I have yet to see the Israeli strategy for doing so.”
In their public statements, Israeli officials have so far focused on the need for military action in the densely populated strip of land next to Egypt.
Read more: Israel Ups the Ante, Vows to Wipe Hamas ‘Off Face of the Earth’
In a late-night briefing Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to wipe Hamas “off the face of the Earth” as the new unity government signaled a major ground offensive would start soon in retaliation for the weekend attack by the militant group that killed 1,200 people.
Moulton said that approach won’t work. “What happens when you cut a worm in half? You get two worms,” Moulton said. “If they just go in and kill the Hamas operatives of today, you could well have twice as many tomorrow,” he said. “It’s not a coherent strategy.”
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