The Weekly Portion: Keep up the pressure

The killing of a senior Islamic Jihad operative in the West Bank and the renewal of attacks on the western Negev last week only illustrated further the threat posed by Islamic terror.

These incidents brought to light the purpose of using targeted killings against senior operatives who are known to be carrying high-trajectory weapons aimed at our cities - we're not just talking about Sderot anymore and the areas in the western Negev, we are now also talking about our cities in the north.

In order to understand the answer, one must be aware of these fundamental facts:

* Targeted killings is one of the most productive means of fighting terror and disrupting terrorist activity. We cannot seriously counter terror without attacking its leaders

* There is no chance for a real de-escalation of attacks against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Iran, who funds and trains these organizations' operatives, is interested in maintaining a steady flow of attacks against Israeli citizens in order to exhaust our society and bring about its collapse. Hamas's attempts at a ceasefire testifies to the heavy blow it was dealt and its urgent need to regroup, rearm and consolidate its power in the Gaza Strip.

* Israel must not accept the terms under which Hamas and Islamic Jihad are attempting to reach a ceasefire. The halting of attacks on our cities from the Gaza Strip would grant immunity for these same terror organizations in the West Bank, where they are trying to build the infrastructure for future attacks against Israel and prepare the ground for a future takeover, a la Gaza Strip. If Israel does not disrupt and thwart the terror organizations' efforts to strengthen their influence in the West Bank, we will find ourselves facing an unacceptable reality, worse than the existing one in the western Negev

* Israel must break Hamas's military power and bring about its ousting in the Gaza Strip. Israel cannot accept the existence of an Iranian base on its southern borders. Since May 2000, I have been saying similar things about Hizbullah and in the summer of 2006, I was proved right

It is because of all of the above that we cannot drop the ball on the continued and focused fight against terror organizations and their leaders. If we do - we will not change the enemy's ultimate goal. We may achieve a short period of calm but we will pay for this in the future with many casualties. The operations against terrorist leaders must be focused on fitting targets, "quality targets", so that the price we are paying will bring about a result that would justify it.

However, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that the achievements in the fight against terror, however significant they may be, will bring about a change in our reality or even a victory in this war.

There is no victory over Hamas without a political agreement with the representatives of the majority of the Palestinian people. Support for Hamas, which stood at 43% at its peak (in the 2006 January elections) has dropped dramatically in the past year and stands today at 20%. This is according to surveys conducted in the Strip. In all the surveys, Mahmoud Abbas holds a significant lead over Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas "Prime Minister". If negotiations proceed seriously, it is possible to complete an agreement by the end of the year.

Our military effort is only worth the work if it brings about a change in the reality in Gaza; that is a political change and not just a military change.

To conclude, I'd like to make one comment on a related issue.

I recently visited Japan as a guest of the government. I toured the city of Hiroshima which absorbed the first-ever atomic bomb attack in August 1945. An impressive museum documents the horror of the event. That bomb was considered small, with "only" 20,000 tons of explosives. Hiroshima, whose homes were built low and whose population amounted to 200,000 was completely obliterated. Years after, 'survivors' died of various illnesses while severe burns caused deformations on the bodies of many others who died of great suffering.

I toured the museum for hours, saw the pictures and the presentations and thought of us. Of Haifa and the cities on the coast, of Tel Aviv and its surroundings. I understood in Hiroshima something that I have been cautioning against for over 15 years. To us - this won't happen. The Ayatollahs in Teheran must not obtain nuclear weapons. At any cost.