Should India take lessons from Israel?

Past few days people like me have looked in amazement the way Israel has retaliated to the Hamas^* actions. Israel has virtually taken the attack to the Gaza^€ and have bombarded with flurry of rockets resulting in death of over 500 people (90% of them being Hamas militant). The question which came to everyone’s mind was: Did India blunder in not attacking militant’s camp in Pakistan?

Like every other patriotic Indian I would have loved to see India flushing out militants from Pakistani camps across the border. But I also know from India’s past history and political establishment that such kind of action would not take place.

But what could be the reasons that India isn’t Israel or Pakistan isn’t another Gaza? If a small state like Israel is able to hold its fortress against its big rich neighbours, then why a large state like India can’t replicate the same against a smaller country like Pakistan?

There might be so many parallels between  

1. Israel and India
2. Gaza and Pakistan &
3. Hamas and Lashkae-e-Taiba

but that doesn’t mean that actions can also be the same. There are other reasons also which determine a country’s actions.

Reason 1: Pakistan isn’t Gaza

In terms of military might between Israel and Gaza, it is the story of David vs Goliath. The military might of Pakistan is no way inferior to India the same way is that of Gaza against Israel. If India chooses to go for attack against Pakistan, then in retaliation Pakistan can go for nuclear attack against India (which is the last thing world needs).

Reason 2: Targets

It has been more than a month since the Mumbai attack, the militant would have shifted base by now. With whole of ISI backing the militants it’s not a tall order for them to move the base of the militants in the whole of Pakistan. The militants get their main support from the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and after every such attack in India it has been a norm that militants shift their base.

Reason 3: It isn’t first for Israel

This isn’t the first time that Israel has orchestrated attacks against the militant camps across the border. Israel has been surrounded by its enemies and knows that in order to survive it needs to be proactive than just being reactive. Over so many years whenever the militants have intensified attack against Israeli citizens, Israel has reacted with such stern actions. This time also it has been of over two months of rocket barrages in Israeli territory, so the writing was clear that Israel would react.

Reason 4: US Approval

The whole world knows that the audacity of Israel while dealing with its neighbours is all due to the support it gets from US. The same kind of support India can’t hope to achieve from US. Furthermore, India can’t get the backing of US the way US extends to Israel. It is also no secret that Pakistan has got the backing of China which is another threat in India’s neighbour. So a full escalation war might result in the proxy support to Pakistan from China.

Reason 5: Political will

The most important reason that India won’t attack Pakistan is that India doesn’t have political will. The political bosses, for reasons known to them, won’t take action which might put them in bad light. This can be gauged from the fact that for the past few days there has been only war of words between Pakistan and India but no action from India’s side.

Conclusion:

One may feel very much agitated against the 26/11 attack but the truth is that India isn’t Israel and Pakistan isn’t Gaza. So military action is ruled out and diplomacy is to be adopted. But how long can this go? This has to end someday. And for that India needs to act tough. By tough one need not replicate Israel but then one need to show if such attacks don’t stop, then we might take action like Israeli’s do. And that day people like me would be proud of our country.

^* Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni paramilitary organization and political party which holds a majority of seats in the elected legislative council of the Palestinian National Authority. Hamas was created in 1987. It is notorious for its numerous suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces.

^€ Gaza Strip is about 41 km in length and 6-12 Km wide. It houses over 1.4 million Palestinians. The area is not recognized internationally as part of any sovereign country but is claimed by the Palestinian National Authority as part of the Palestinian territories. Israel governed the Gaza Strip from 1967-2005. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Israel maintains control of the strip's airspace, territorial waters, and offshore maritime access, as well as its side of the Gaza-Israel border.