Israel should seek victory says Pipes
In his latest book, "Israel Victory", Pipes describes how he first conceived the strategy in the late 1990s.
American author Daniel Pipes argues Israel must abandon decades of conflict management in favour of pursuing decisive victory over Palestinian rejectionism.
In his latest book, “Israel Victory”, Pipes describes how he first conceived the strategy in the late 1990s when he realised “the so-called peace process wasn’t working” and began seeking alternative approaches to Israeli-Palestinian relations.
“You gain victory when you convince your opponent that he cannot achieve his war goals,” Pipes explains.
“In this case, it would either be a Palestinian victory, which would mean Israelis giving up on a Jewish state, or it would mean Palestinians giving up on destroying the Jewish state. It’s binary, and it doesn’t lend itself to compromise.”
Pipes contends that Israel successfully pursued victory against Arab states like Egypt, Jordan and Syria, but has failed to do so with the Palestinians.
“The Israelis, like most Westerners, do not think in terms of victory and defeat,” he notes, though he observes this mindset is changing, particularly regarding Ukraine.
While praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric since 7 October – citing nearly 70 instances where he has called for “total victory” or “absolute victory” – Pipes expresses concern about policy implementation.
He points to recent polling showing 77 per cent of Israelis prioritise hostage return over Hamas’s destruction.
His prescription for victory involves two key elements: dismantling both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, which he describes as “totalitarian, genocidal entities”, and launching a comprehensive information campaign targeting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Violence is not the solution. Violence is a tactic,” Pipes emphasises. “The solution lies in ideas. The Palestinians have been under the weight of a very bad series of ideas, and I think there is at this point some flexibility. I see more and more Palestinians ready to give up on those bad ideas.”
Pipes envisions a prosperous future for Palestinians if they abandon rejectionism.
“It could look like Dubai. This is an educated and ambitious people who could do great things if they had good ideas,” he says.
Reflecting on his numerous visits to Australia, Pipes expresses frustration at failing to gain traction for these ideas among local politicians.
“I did try to make these points to [Australian] politicians and others on two or three occasions, and really didn’t get anywhere,” he says. “It seemed too remote, too contrary to consensual thinking… I stopped trying.”
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