The recent skirmish between Israel and Gaza was successful and met all of its objectives: It focused on Islamic Jihad, Hamas – the terrorist group that controls Gaza Strip – did not join the 48-hour flare-up, and hostilities were short, taking a minimal toll on the Israeli homefront.
Three main elements made this result possible: The legitimacy Israeli and Palestinian civilians both lent the flare-up, the meticulous nature of the operation that eliminated top Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in his Gaza home and last, but not least, the element of surprise.
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The latest round of violence seemed to garner support on both sides of the border. The Israeli public was fed up with the simmering tensions in the Israel-Gaza border and was willing to withstand massive rocket salvos – to the tune of 450 projectiles in 48 hours – to draw clear lines vis-à-vis the Islamic Jihad.
The Palestinians in Gaza have also had enough of Islamic Jihad's attempts to drag Hamas – currently preoccupied with its efforts to alleviate the dire economic situation in the coastal enclave – into another war with Israel. They, too, were willing to pay a price to curb the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
With both sides in rare agreement that Islamic Jihad must be taken down a notch, everyone found they could live with Israel dealing in a massive blow in the form of al-Ata's removal.
Operation Black Belt, the IDF's codename for the surgical strike on the archterrorist's home, was carried out after months of planning and countless discussions by defense establishment officials at all levels. Every element involved knew their part of the mission to a T and had drilled it to perfection.
But there is no doubt that what underpinned Operation Black Belt was the element of surprise. Once again, it has been proven that when Israel is proactive the enemy finds it difficult to play catch-up.
This operation not only left Islamic Jihad devoid of a man who was, for all intents and purposes, its chief of staff in Gaza, the element of surprise allowed Israel to be prepared for almost every scenario, including offensive strikes in response to rocket fire and defensive maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, both of which prevented the enemy from marking any significant achievements.
Still, it is hard to explain what can only be defined as Islamic Jihad's tempered response between the time of the hit on al-Ata to the time when the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire came into effect, especially after it announced that Israel's move had "opened the gates of hell."
The IDF had expected a far more aggressive response, from massive rocket fire to central Israel to sniper and drone attacks, and while central Israel did come under fire on Tuesday, the terrorist group did not truly tap into its perceived capabilities.
This may be explained by the fact that the man behind the curtain – al-Ata – was no longer around to plan attacks, and possibly by the effectiveness of the Israeli military, which was quickly able to eliminate several rocket-firing cells. It is also possible that the Islamic Jihad's arsenal is not as sophisticated as Israel believed.
But perhaps, as a senior defense official hinted on Thursday, Islamic Jihad simply panicked. The secondary terrorist group in Gaza is not used to going up against Israel without Hamas' considerable arsenal to echo its attacks, but this time Hamas refused to be dragged into the fighting.
This left Islamic Jihad to fend for itself and it stands to reason it decided to cut its losses before they got any worse.
This, of course, could be wishful thinking but even if that is the case, the fact that Hamas opted not to fuel the fire was nothing less than a game-changer. Hamas needs little excuse to attack Israel and the fact it did not join the fray allowed Israel to make quick work of quelling the hostilities to the best possible result: The PIJ lost its leader in Gaza, 25 operatives, and dozens of physical assets, but there were no Israeli casualties and no significant property damage on the Israeli side.
Still, while Operation Black Belt removed a significant player from the board, it did not solve any fundamental issue in Gaza, nor did it eliminate Islamic Jihad as a whole. The Iranian-backed terrorist group will be back, no doubt with a vengeance.
Furthermore, until now both Israel and Hamas had a permanent excuse as to why understandings on a wide-scale ceasefire could not be achieved, namely al-Ata, who constantly agitated tensions and refused to heed Hamas' orders.
With him out of the picture, one would think that the Egyptian-led talks could go forward in earnest and discuss all relevant issues, from prisoner exchange deal to the rehabilitation of Gaza. Big decisions have to be made and perhaps it is time to make them.
