The golden triangle of war: price – time – achievement. In war, the proportion between the price and the achievement and the length of time demanded determines the national morale. The more tangible the achievement is, the more we are willing to bear the costs. As the duration of the war lengthens, the pace of achievements decreases while the price remains fixed, which is frustrating. We despair.
Now, it is incumbent on us to detach ourselves from sentiments and examine the essence of the three components:
The achievement: 1. Tactically: The IDF wins in every battle. 2. Operationally: Close to a third of Hamas's fighting manpower has been destroyed, and more than half of its battalions will have been defeated very soon. On the other hand, we have so far failed to eliminate its most senior commanders and leadership, and Hamas still functions as a combatant organization, mainly in the southern Gaza Strip. In addition, it is unfortunate that Iran has not paid a price for the participation of its proxies. 3. Strategically: We have not agreed on a political vision – what lies beyond the military goals, and on a plan to end the war. Accordingly, we have not started implementing the exit strategy. We must define where we want to go, stop fighting with the United States, and not just say what is not acceptable.
The price: We lose soldiers, and families fall apart every day. It hurts, it is sad, and it weighs on us. Every person is an entire world. We must do everything to reduce this price.
The time: Unfortunately, it will take many months to dismantle Hamas and bring it to a state where it will not be a viable governmental entity. If we want, we can comply with a ceasefire as early as tomorrow – one that will give us peace for several years, mainly thanks to our achievements thus far. But, if we have learned anything from the events of October 7, it is that we're not going back there. We are moving toward something else.
The golden triangle of war: price – time – achievement. In war, the proportion between the price and the achievement and the length of time demanded determines the national morale. The more tangible the achievement is, the more we are willing to bear the costs. As the duration of the war lengthens, the pace of achievements decreases while the price remains fixed, which is frustrating. We despair.
Now, it is incumbent on us to detach ourselves from sentiments and examine the essence of the three components:
The achievement: 1. Tactically: The IDF wins in every battle. 2. Operationally: Close to a third of Hamas's fighting manpower has been destroyed, and more than half of its battalions will have been defeated very soon. On the other hand, we have so far failed to eliminate its most senior commanders and leadership, and Hamas still functions as a combatant organization, mainly in the southern Gaza Strip. In addition, it is unfortunate that Iran has not paid a price for the participation of its proxies. 3. Strategically: We have not agreed on a political vision – what lies beyond the military goals, and on a plan to end the war. Accordingly, we have not started implementing the exit strategy. We must define where we want to go, stop fighting with the United States, and not just say what is not acceptable.
The price: We lose soldiers, and families fall apart every day. It hurts, it is sad, and it weighs on us. Every person is an entire world. We must do everything to reduce this price.
The time: Unfortunately, it will take many months to dismantle Hamas and bring it to a state where it will not be a viable governmental entity. If we want, we can comply with a ceasefire as early as tomorrow – one that will give us peace for several years, mainly thanks to our achievements thus far. But, if we have learned anything from the events of October 7, it is that we're not going back there. We are moving toward something else.