Hyacinths

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If you drive along route 77 from the Golani Junction in the direction of Tiberias you are bound to notice the prominent rocky outcrop near Kibbutz Lavie. The two protrusions bring to mind giant horns, and indeed since time immemorial this place has been called the "Horns of Hittin."

Originally our Saturday trip to the Golan Heights didn't include a stop there, but that was before we heard about the wild hyacinths flowering near the crater that lies between the horns. The outcrop is in fact an extinct volcano, so our tour guide who added this unscheduled stop to our itinerary for the sake of the hyacinths, simply had to comment on the geological background of this corner of Galilee. After the hyacinths and the geology we couldn't walk away without mentioning the battle. Battles in this country whether they are biblical or recent occurrences always deserve mention.

The Battle of the Horns of Hittin is no exception, especially since it marked a turning point in the history of the Crusades. The devastating defeat of the Crusader army led by Guy de Lusignan by the Saracen Sultan Saladin was perhaps the bloodiest battle fought in the Holy Land.

Chroniclers of the time recorded different estimates of the size of the Crusader army. Between 10,000 – 20,000 cavalry and infantry left a stronghold at Sephoris (Tzippori) on July 3^rd , 1187 determined to lift Saladin's siege on Tiberias, most of them fell in battle or were executed at the Horns of Hittin.

Guy de Lusignan, an ambitious French knight who by guile and cunning managed to dethrone and replace King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, lost his army, his newly acquired kingdom and had it not been for the mercy of Saladin he would have lost his head too.

Even Christian chroniclers praised Saladin for the chivalry he demonstrated on a number of occasions. By comparison his Christian enemies, knights of chivalry admiring realms, were a pack of bloodthirsty backstabbing villains not averse to betraying one another whenever they could.

For all his chivalry Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria was ruthless and handy with a scimitar when riled. I’m sure Richard Goldstone could write a scathing report on the Battle of the Horns of Hittin.

Ironically, not long after his death Saladin was entirely forgotten in the Muslim world. Mainly because his short lived empire was eclipsed by greater longstanding Muslim empires.

Then Sir Walter Scott resurrected the man and his deeds in his novel The Talisman

The Crusaders believing in their holy cause and trusting in their weapons, were nevertheless, more confident with some extra backing, a talisman of their own. After all you can never have too much insurance. So they brought the Bishop of Acre and a relic of the True Cross allegedly found by Saint Helena , the mother of the Emperor Constantine I a mere three hundred years after the crucifixion.

It didn’t help much, the battle was lost, the bishop was killed and the piece of the True Cross was captured and sent with other spoils to Damascus.

While our tour guide recounted the battle the hyacinths reminded me of the poppies in Flanders fields.

The glory and comparative unity of the Arab World under Saladin has been seen as the perfect symbol for the new unity sought by Arab nationalists.

Moreover, the example of the transient Crusader kingdom has been cited many times by Muslim leaders in their struggle against Israel.

The sight of a vapour trail made by an Israeli air-force jet high above the flowering hyacinths brought my train of thought back from the battles of the twelfth century to the present time and our need to contend with enemies on all sides.

Today Israel facing threats from lightly armed Hezbollah and Hamas possessing large quantities of cheap short range rockets, has finally developed what promises to be a comprehensive active defence system.

Although Hezbollah has been effectively neutralised since the Second Lebanon War it still possesses a massive rocket and missile arsenal that could be used if need be.

Since the end of Operation Cast Lead Hamas in Gaza has been careful to restrain dissident groups from firing Qassam rockets and mortar shells at Israeli civilian targets. However, recently some of these maverick splinter groups have managed to fire off a few salvos.

Responding to these attacks by the use of a passive defence system based on air raid shelters and reinforced strong rooms combined with air strikes against the rocket launching teams, was the best we could do until recently.

Repeating punitive actions like last year’s Operation Cast Lead has its limitations and is damaging to our public image.

An active response named the Iron Dome antimissile system has been tested several times recently, boosting the likelihood that it can neutralise or severely weaken the ability of Hamas and Hezbollah to launch successful missile strikes at Israel.

The Iron Dome antimissile system developed over the past 2-1/2 years by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, a government-owned company, has been successfully tested against Qassam rockets, Grad rockets, and mortar shells. According to Israel TV channel 10 the first unit of the new system is expected to be fully operational in May.

Minister of Defence Ehud Barak was quick to add that complete defence coverage was still a long way off.

Nevertheless this is the first operational unit of its kind.

In February 2008 Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems were awarded $8.6 and $5.9 million contracts (respectively) to design prototype hardware for EAPS (Extended Area Protection and Survivability) Battle Element. Both companies are expected to present their competing systems to the Army by the end of 2012.

One of the advantages of the Iron Dome system is that it can distinguish worthwhile targets - missiles headed for a populated area – from those destined to land in an open field, for example, and not worth trying to knock out of the sky. In wartime, such a tool could be crucial. During the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, more than 4,000 Katyusha rockets were fired into northern Israel.

Critics of the new system argue that it will cost about $50,000 to shoot down an incoming rocket from the Gaza Strip, while the Gaza rocket makers can make crude Qassam rockets for as little as $200.a piece.

Designed to offer a 'cost effective' active defence against short range ballistic threats, the system can handle multiple threats simultaneously and efficiently. Iron Dome operates effectively under all weather conditions, and can overcome adverse conditions, which typically limit systems relying on line-of-sight, including low clouds, rain, dust storms or fog. The system comprises the multi-mode radar as a primary sensor, a battle management and weapon control system with interceptor missiles stored in stacks of 20 ready to fire from container-launchers. The stacks can be positioned in a central mode, protecting a point target, or dispersed through a wide area, forming optimal protection of a wide area.

Journalist Alex Fishman posed a difficult question and answered it very convincingly. “Is Iron Dome worth it?” asked Fishman and replied,
“The examination of theIron Dome anti-rocket system should not have to do with cost, but rather, with effectiveness. If this system is not effective enough, no sum in the world would justify its acquisition. Yet if it is operationally efficient, it’s worth every penny – and only for the simple reason that there is no alternative for it anywhere in the world.

The security fence between Israel and the West Bank cost us more than $1.8 billion so far. By the time it’s finished it could cost $4 billion. Is it economical? Obviously not, after all it produces nothing tangible. Yet would the average sane Israeli even think of arguing that the fence should not have been built because it’s not a financially sound project? Can anyone imagine life here without this barrier? Does anyone wish to go back to the days where buses were exploding here almost daily? Is it even possible to quantify, in shekels, the physical, social, and economic damages suffered by the State of Israel before the fence was erected?

And so, when it comes to the Iron Dome active defence system, we cannot talk in terms of immediate and direct economic viability. Iron Dome does not come with a business plan that guarantees a return on investment in 10 years. Just like there is no business plan for an F-15 fighter jet. This is not how we measure security. People who compare the price of an Iron Dome rocket to the price of a Scud missile or Grad rocket are mixing apples and oranges.”

For a change we were spectators watching the violent clashes between Hamas and Egyptian security forces near the Rafah border crossing into Egypt when an international relief aid mission was refused entry into Gaza.

An editorial in Ha’aretz earlier this week warned, “Israel needs to rethink its Gaza strategy before it's too late.”
“Incidents involving live fire have aggravated relations between Hamas and Egypt, which is tightening the siege on Gaza. The Egyptians are building an underground steel wall to thwart smuggling through tunnels into Sinai, and are prohibiting supply convoys from entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Foreign peace activists who wanted to show support for Gaza were stopped in Cairo.”

The editorial sums up the situation as follows:

“The economic embargo, which has brought severe distress to the inhabitants of Gaza, has not brought down Hamas, nor has it freed kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. The siege has only damaged Israel's image and led to accusations that it has shirked its humanitarian responsibilities in Gaza under international law.
Instead of erring by invoking the default solution of more force, which does not create long-term security or ease the distress of the Palestinians in Gaza, the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip should be opened and indirect assistance rendered to rebuild its ruins. The same logic that dictates the government's actions in the West Bank - creating an economic incentive to prevent terror - can and must work in the Gaza Strip as well.”

It seems Ha’aretz has forgotten that a Hamas government rules in Gaza. A regime that refuses to recognise Israel’s right to exist. Whereas in the West Bank despite our inability to further peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas it does recognise Israel and is committed to a two-state solution.

Have a good weekend.

Beni 14^th of January, 2010.