Overall, 2019 fared better than its predecessor and noted a decline in terrorist attacks. Israel will need to invest considerable intelligence efforts to see this trend continue in 2020.
The arrest of Khalida Jarrar, who ran terror operations in the West Bank and is linked to the boycott movement against Israel, could spur further action by US authorities against BDS entities.
Israel has made a serious mistake by shifting civil defense from a defensive tactic to mitigate civilian casualties to a strategy of restraint that is eroding the country’s deterrence and sovereignty.
For years, Israeli governments have made strategic decisions without formal principles on how to conduct national security efforts, including the use of military power.
The endless election cycle has thrown a wrench in IDF chief Aviv Kochavi's plans for the military, and the damage to the defense establishment and, by extension, Israel's security, amounts to gross negligence.
Simply look at those who jump to defend the establishment, and understand who wants to reform the power structure and who wants to preserve it. The Left has become a reactionary force, the protector of the old guard, while the Right is imagining a new future.
For supporters of an executive order US President Donald Trump signed this week, the distinction is a clear matter of reining in those who would question Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
The apparent prominence of Gaza naval bases on the IDF’s target list may indicate that the hundreds of frogmen in Hamas's employ are now serving as underwater stevedores, bringing weapons into the coastal enclave.
For the first time in a year and a half, Egypt has allowed the head of the terrorist organization to leave the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh is in Turkey, and slated to visit Qatar, Russia, Malaysia – but not Iran.
The commander of Iran’s Quds Force is more than a military leader, say Israeli observers. Active from the Lebanese coast to Yemen, his activities have stirred up powerful “antibodies” in the region.
