Israel's Strategy for Combating Palestinian Terror
Abstract
Many observers think that Israel does not have a clear and coherent strategy in confronting the Palestinians who are attempting to force their demands on Israel by violence, especially against civilians. It seems that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are caught in a Sisyphusian dilemma whereby defensive operations are conducted to reduce terrorism. Although this mission is critical, it does not provide direction for a conflict that the IDF Chief of Staff refers to as the most important since the War of Independence. There are five elements in Israeli strategy: altering perceptions among Arabs (particularly Palestinians), negotiating with responsible Palestinians to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement, reasserting the ultimate responsibility of the state to protect its citizens, destroying terror by force, and engendering international support. Israel must regain credibility to make it clear that retreats or concessions will not be made while under fire, and that force -- military or terrorist -- will never change its position. Israelis are ready to negotiate, but neither threats nor violence will evoke concessions. Three conditions are vital to achieving this goal. The first is steadfastness. Israelis can handle tough situations, and the present times are extremely difficult. One of the greatest mistakes the Palestinians made is failing to fathom democracy and how Israel would respond if backed into a corner. The second condition is that Israel must not be pressured to give up anything that could be interpreted as capitulating to terrorism. The last condition is determination by the national leadership to make no concessions while under fire. To evacuate settlements or retreat unilaterally while violence continues could be seen as total capitulation to terrorism and only engender further incidents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA483703
Entities
People
- Jacob Amidror