Strategic Assessment

The Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the Gaza Strip in August-September 2005 represented paradigm shifts in Israeli territorial policy. In Israeli political discourse, both withdrawals have been heavily criticized for lack of strategic planning that ultimately harmed the national interest by surrendering territory “unilaterally,” without negotiations with opposing forces. By contrast, this paper seeks to delineate contributing factors and the logic engendering both withdrawals: ultimately, neither was strictly “unilateral,” nor was either withdrawal a simple response to excessive casualties. Rather, established patterns of territorial control were undermined by declining strategic utility, with policy recalibration long overdue and essential for the pursuit of national goals.