Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran – How Should Israel Prioritize Enemy Arenas?
Israel faces a strategic dilemma regarding prioritization of the multiple arenas of attacks it faces across the region: Can it continue to prioritize Gaza while maintaining the current low tempo of operations in Lebanon and preparing for responses from Iran? In Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has made significant progress since the Hamas invasion […]
America the Unprepared
The principal product of Washington D.C. is words. They come in three different kinds of packages: memoranda, by which government departments and organizations communicate internally; op-ed articles, by which these various groups communicate with each other and the public; and reports, usually compiled under the auspices of people with expertise in the subject being addressed. […]
Who was Ismail Haniyeh?
The first and the only time I interviewed Ismail Haniyeh, the late head of Hamas’ political bureau, was in January 2006 in Gaza, on the day of the fateful elections for the Palestinian parliament, shortly after exit poll results were published. Like every other member of Hamas, Haniyeh was overwhelmed by this unexpected victory. Hamas […]
Planning for Postwar Gaza: Lessons from Kosovo
As the war in Gaza drags on, so do efforts to identify a model for postwar governance and security. The experience of Kosovo following NATO’s 1999 expulsion of Serbian forces may offer some lessons. A Brief History Refresher In March 1999, in the wake of a growing Kosovo Liberation Army insurgency, an upturn in Serbian […]
A New Approach to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict<span class="book-review-title-italic">Israel Victory: How Zionists Win Acceptance and Palestinians Get Liberated</span> <span class="book-review-author">by Daniel Pipes</span>
In the 76 years since the founding of the modern state of Israel, the conflict with its Arab neighbors has consumed an enormous amount of the attention of national leaders, international organizations, diplomats, academics, and journalists. This conflict, which changed after the Israel-Egypt peace treaty of 1979 from one between and among sovereign states to a […]
After Nine Months, Israel Continues to Grind Down Hamas in Gaza
The war in Gaza after nine months shows no sign of concluding in the near term. Hamas and other groups in Gaza continue to hold on, after the IDF estimates it has killed or captured 14,000 Hamas members. In every area the IDF left, such as northern Gaza, Hamas returned, albeit in a diminished form.
Lessons for Postwar Gaza from the American Experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan
“Don’t repeat our mistakes—we can do it ourselves.” This line occurred to me as I listened to discussions of “the day after” in Gaza. Plans and ideas need to address the detailed problems of implementation. I do not pose as an expert on Israel or Palestinian affairs. Rather I draw from the painful lived experiences […]
Israel Debates Its Future Military Force Structure
In the midst of the current war in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces is evaluating its future force needs. Three Israeli insiders have differing views on the desirable future size and composition of the IDF. More Strategic Planning Moni Chorev, former division commander and general in the reserves, told me the following: The IDF must […]
Russia’s Targeting of Civilians in Ukraine: A Ukrainian Response
On July 8, Russia launched a barrage of missiles that hit the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, killing at least 38 persons. One missile demolished the ward which cared for child patients on dialysis. The explosion was so powerful that the top floor of the building collapsed; the shockwave and secondary shrapnel destroyed two other […]
Israel’s Paratrooper Dynasty
The systemic failure of October 7 has no single root nor one explanation. But the predominance for decades of one type of officer – paratroopers – at the top of Israel’s military hierarchy, lately exemplified by Chiefs of Staff Gantz, Kochavi and Halevi, is certainly part of the sad story. Lack of diversity at the […]
