War on Gaza, strategic folly by Israel: US analyst

A prominent international affairs expert says the recent Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip is part of a “long pattern” of strategic folly by the Tel Aviv regime.

In an article posted on the website of Foreign Policy on Tuesday, Stephen M. Walt described Israel’s war against the Gaza Strip in December 2008 as “worse than a crime” and “a blunder” and said the regime’s new offensive against Gaza was the continuation of Tel Aviv’s folly.

“The latest pummeling of Gaza seems equally foolish… But it’s part of a long pattern rather than an isolated incident,” he noted.

The senior expert said that Israeli officials “had frequently engaged in acts of strategic folly.”

He advised US leaders not to allow Israel to influence Washington’s Middle East policy.

“One obvious lesson is that US leaders shouldn’t allow US Middle East policy to be overly influenced by an ally whose strategic judgment is often even worse than our own,” Walt said.

Israel launched a massive 22-day attack against Gaza in December 2008 that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

At least 139 Gazans, including many women and children, have been killed and more than 1,100 others have been injured in over 1,450 Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip since November 14.