The Israeli public continues to meet the severe challenges of Operation Protective Edge in an outstanding manner. It provides the necessary support for the political and military moves, and has demonstrated a high level of societal resilience. This has been manifested primarily in maintaining an appropriate level of functional continuity in the framework of the emergency routine, including in the center of the country, which was previously not exposed in such a manner to repeated attacks. Yet despite the justified satisfaction from...
In contrast to the clichéd statement that there is no military solution to terrorism, Israel has proven it can solve systemic terrorist threats against it militarily. Nonetheless, the political solution is always to be preferred. The long term political solution for Gaza is the continued weakening of Hamas – economically, politically, and militarily – and the creation of better political alternatives for both the Palestinians and Israel. Over the last two years, Hamas has been politically and financially weakened. If, after Operation...
Operation Protective Edge and the talks that are supposed to end it have brought the political and ideological fault lines in the Middle East into sharp relief. The mediation attempts demonstrate the extent to which the countries involved in the ceasefire negotiations have different political agendas, as well as opposing ideologies and interests. While firmly held ideologies and weighty interests are not an obstacle per se to success in mediation, it seems that they are complicating the efforts of the regional players as they attempt...
Like all military missions, Operation Protective Edge raises several legal questions. The legal aspects of the operation are relevant to the deliberations of decision makers at the practical level as well as to the public discourse in Israel and abroad. However, issues touching on the legality of Israel’s actions are not synonymous with issues concerning the legitimacy of these actions in the international arena, and legal actions may still be deemed illegitimate. It is therefore important to distinguish between the two realms and...
It is clear that Israel now faces a Hamas that sees fighting as the least problematic option. Insofar as Hamas believes that it can restore its standing through its ability to attack and inflict damage, fighting is its only chance to stop it from growing weaker and restore its absolute power in Gaza, and in the future, in the entire Palestinian Authority. This is also reflected in the organization’s demands for a ceasefire – not only the release of the Shalit prisoners, but also the opening of the border crossings with Egypt...
The strategic purpose of the operation is derived from the state’s obligation to fulfill its basic obligation to protect its citizens and enable them to pursue a normal way of life. Restoring deterrence to achieve another period of quiet was a major strategic achievement of prior operations and a primary objective of the current campaign. While deterrence addresses the motivation to fire at Israel, the current operation should also deal with the capabilities of Hamas and smaller terrorist organizations, particularly Islamic...
The abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers has returned the issue of Palestinian terror and the military threat from the Gaza Strip to the top of the public agenda. As a result, there is a strong demand to change Israel’s strategic approach to Hamas and to terror and violence in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The government of Israel has leveraged the kidnapping in order to make it clear to the Israeli public and the international community that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that there should be no tolerance...
Following the abduction of three teenagers on June 12, 2014, Israel launched a campaign against Hamas in the West Bank that involves intensive activity on the ground, including searches, arrests, interrogations, confiscation of property, and other actions. The campaign is consistent with Israel’s obligations and rights to guarantee its security and the security of its citizens. To the extent that these measures involve arrests, there is a legal framework that regulates their implementation. Legal difficulty, however, arises mainly in...
Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan’s letter of resignation and his recommendation that the ministry be closed and its powers transferred to the Defense Ministry will apparently lead to the end of yet another sad story in Israel’s attempts to construct a system that can best cope with the serious threats to the civilian front. The core of the problem is that unlike with the military front, where there is a clear hierarchy as well as clarity and general consent as to who is responsible on each level, there is no such...
