Being an avid watcher of crime movies, I’ve noticed that whenever a member of the police force has a relative involved in a crime, that particular officer is taken off the case as his or her judgement would be clouded with anger, rage or revenge. Whereas what the police force needs is cold blooded emotionless thinking to solve the case.
Yesterday President Biden spoke to the Israeli president saying, ‘While you feel rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11 we sought justice, we made mistakes’
Yes indeed, you did make huge mistakes! Former President Bush with just one idea in his thick head; to retaliate for the Twin Tower deaths, entered Iraq with a vengeance and the world’s still paying for it.
Coming back to TV serials I love watching, especially Rocky, there’s the disappointing sound of a crunching blow as our hero is floored. Then the countdown begins and we cheer and the crowd applauds as he, all bloodied and messed up, painstakingly lifts himself from the ground. We all expect him, like an enraged bull to lash out, pummel and smash the opponent to smithereens. But what does he do?
He disappoints us as he dodges, feints, weaves past the blows of the one who had laid him low, till slowly we realise Rocky is following a plan. He has his rage under control, and waiting for the right moment lands a penetrating crucial, decisive blow, that flings his opponent to the ground, never to rise before the count of ten!
That indeed is a ‘surgical strike’!
Modi with his attack on Pakistan after the Pulwama bombing, delivered a crushing body blow that has kept Pakistan on the mat for years now. He could well have thrown caution to the wind and sent a thousand missiles into Pakistan, and maybe the whole Indian army, but the blow given was accurate, precise and to the point.
Israel needs to learn to do this. At the moment, though wounded and angry they are acting like a rogue elephant gone berserk and slowly losing the backing of the world.
The Hamas are crafty. They didn’t attack to just harm Israel, their goal was to provoke Israel into foolhardiness, and get the world, especially the Arab world, against them.
They seem to be achieving that goal.
Like I said, I’m a movie buff, and what if this was a Netflix movie, like the Israeli ‘Fauda’? Brain instead of brawn would have been used. So, for once, real war needs to follow the reel one.
The Jews are great thinkers, now is the time for them to put on those same thinking caps!
Stop lashing out, you’re losing out..!
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and author. He blogs at www.bobsbanter.com and can be reached at bobsbanter@gmail.com
