There are several lessons to be drawn from the accomplishments so far. The main one: While Israel should not be itching for a fight in Gaza, neither should it shy away from a confrontation, especially when a small and brazen organization like the PIJ is the agitator.
For those who may have forgotten – only nine months ago, Israel succeeded in wiping out the PIJ leadership in the Gaza Strip, which shows that the deterrence generated from military targeting activity is somewhat limited. The PIJ is well aware that the combination of strong discipline among the Israeli public and the Iron Dome significantly limit their chances of exacting a price.
Israel hopes that the increased cooperation with Italy will lead to the long-awaited diplomatic move. Sources say Italian officials are considering the matter, but country is more like to open a lower-level diplomatic office in Jerusalem.
Israeli decision-makers believe that if a real emergency arises, the US will show up by helping it. But its shifting priorities should set off alarm bells.
So far, the silver lining in the recent uptick in violence is that despite Israel being attacked on multiple fronts (Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Judea, and Samaria and within the Green Line), the enemies have so far not been united.
The kingdom has gone into diplomatic overdrive, restoring relations with Iran and agreeing to a rapprochement with Syria in its quest to rebuild regional alliances, instead of leaning entirely on Washington, its long-time big power ally.
Israel’s security activity continues to operate as before to thwart terror, and an external crisis will actually unite Israeli society.
For those trying to understand what gives the court in Israel more power than the elected government, it is useful to compare Israel’s judicial system to that of the United States.
It is genuinely unclear why the US president chose this specific timing to level his criticism against Netanyahu instead of providing support for the prime minister's decision to strive for consensus.
The IDF’s latest operations in Jenin and northern Samaria not only provide security against Palestinian terror threats but also send an intimidating message to our enemies on all fronts, as they hope Israeli security forces burn out due to the internal crisis.
