Petraeus warns Israel over post-conflict Gaza, citing US invasion of Iraq

Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus on Monday cautioned Israel to think about what a post-conflict Gaza will look like, invoking the United States’ “inadequate” post-conflict preparation ahead of its invasion of Iraq 20 years ago.

“I was a two-star, I remember asking before we went to Baghdad, and I said, ‘You know, excuse me, can we have a little more detail on what happens after we get to Baghdad and topple the regime?’ And they said, ‘You just get us to Baghdad, Dave. We’ll take it from there,’” Petraeus said in an interview on CBS Mornings.

“We obviously had done inadequate phase four, it’s called, post-conflict,” Petraeus added.

While public support for the US invasion of Iraq was high, support dropped quickly as the invasion resulted in tremendous violence and organized resistance to the US-led occupation. The political repercussions of support for the US invasion to many elected and military officials continue to this day, while thousands of US soldiers were killed during the eight-year conflict.

Petraeus said he predicts military officials in Israel are remembering the US invasion of Iraq and trying to avoid similar outcomes, politically and militarily. He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to plan ahead.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu would be well advised, to not only say what they’re going to try to do to Hamas, but, realistically – because, again, the cost is so high, but also talk about the future of Gaza and a future, even a vision, for the Palestinian post-conflict plan,” Petraeus said.

Pressed on why Netanyahu has not done so, Petraeus said the Israeli leader faces a “conundrum” with no attractive outcome.

“It’s just really, really hard. I mean, they don’t want to reoccupy, but if you don’t reoccupy, Hamas will reconstitute, and they know that, and so you’re going to go to enormous loss, casualties the Israeli civilians, of course, Hamas fighters, terrorists, and then you’re just gonna leave?” Petraeus said, “And I’m sure they are searching for that answer.”

President Biden in an interview with “60 Minutes” aired Sunday said an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza would be a “big mistake.”

Petraeus also drew a comparison between Hamas and ISIS and stressed Israel does not have the nine months that it took the US to clear ISIS from northern Iraq.

“A similar size population, Mosul, when the Islamic State occupied it in northern Iraq – and ISIS is a good analogy here for what Hamas has done – It took nine months to clear that. Israel doesn’t have nine months obviously, and it called up again 360,000 reserves. They have their finger on the trigger. But the military is saying, this is what it’s going to cost, and the military probably is also saying, and then what? They’re saying, you know, how did that work out in Iraq?”

Petraeus underscored the challenging situation Israel faces in driving Hamas out of Gaza.

“I can’t imagine a more challenging set of circumstances. As you laid out, you have a very densely populated area. You have an enemy who doesn’t wear a uniforms, who hides among the people, who positions his headquarters underneath hospitals, stores weapons in mosques,” he said.

“And if they’re as creative in the defense as they were in the offense – horribly so, horrifically so, unspeakably so – there are going to be improvised explosive devices, there will be booby traps, there will be suicide vests, so this is very, very challenging.”