Strategic Assessment

This article analyzes the way the IDF, in conjunction with other security forces, confronted the “armed conflict short of war” that became known as the second intifada. It divides the subject into two periods: up to Operation Defensive Shield (April 2002), and after Defensive Shield, with an emphasis on the period from 2002-2005. It addresses both the pure military aspects and the complexity that resulted from the need for the military echelon to hold an ongoing dialogue with the political echelon. The article also lists four main lessons that should be learned from the IDF’s experience in the confrontation.