Strategic Assessment

Although new protective measures adopted by the IDF during Operation Cast Lead caused many casualties among the civilian Palestinian population, there was no genuine public debate on the issue of morality in warfare. Yet the issue must be examined. The IDF, precisely because it is unequaled in its moral considerations, must examine this sensitive subject and decide what can be improved. In addition, the government should define legal and public relations guidelines, to minimize the political and image-related damage that results with the IDF’s chosen method of fighting in a built up area.