Wednesday August 24, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

There are important lessons to be learned from Israel's redeployment from Gaza. Tactics applied during this massive withdrawal will be studied in FBI, police and rescue academies around the world for decades to come, much like the lessons learned after the Six Day War.

Lesson #1 -- Vox Populi. The masses backed the redeployment despite the very loud protestations of a small but vocal minority. The mood of the people speaks volumes.

Lesson #2 -- Looks can be deceiving. The world was bombarded with images of the settlers as extremists. They were just citizens exercising their democratic right to protest.

Lesson #3 -- Outsiders do not speak for insiders. They are in and out, single issue instigators, concerned with their own agenda oblivious to the larger picture.

Lesson #4 -- Well trained forces can defuse the most explosive situation. Proper training can turn an ugly situation into a publicity success. Training in psychology and social work are as important as military training.

Lesson #5 -- People will see what they want to believe. The United States still thinks this is about peace. Palestinians see the redeployment as their success.

Lesson #6 -- Patience and perseverance pay off. Ten days later, it was all done.