Analysis

The defense and security establishment believes that deterrence has been restored, but not fully, and that if no political understandings are reached, it is only a matter of time until the next escalation.

“Whether journalists believe the IDF’s statements or not, the media have a duty to report the story fully,” says Simon Plosker, managing editor for HonestReporting. “Telling one side alone is willfully naive at best, and a worrying betrayal of the truth at worst.”

According to the Left's plan, IDF soldiers will enter Gaza to clean out the tunnels, bunkers, homes and secret weapons stashes and then hand the Palestinian Authority a spotless Gaza Strip. The IDF will then withdraw.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad will boast of their achievements against Israel, but Gaza will continue to sink further into the gutter of extremism and backwardness. We can safely assume, therefore, that the latest round of fighting won't be the last.

Iron Dome saves lives, but every interceptor fired costs some $80,000. Cheaper laser-based alternatives exist that can eradicate threats from multiple rocket barrages.

Hamas leader Sinwar took a calculated risk by telling his operatives to launch rockets on Israel even while he was away in Cairo.

The Iranian proxy group has been behind a string of attacks in recent weeks designed to sabotage Egyptian-led efforts to steer Gaza towards calm.

Israel has warned Hamas that a decision to avoid reining in Palestinian Islamic Jihad will lead to a greater conflagration; while the message may have been received, it has yet to be implemented on the ground.

The question of how much money the military will need to develop its capabilities and meet its many challenging operational requirements in the coming years will be key going forward.

Indeed, many Jewish Americans, predominantly from the liberal camp of the Democratic Party, are clearly drifting away from Israel. Yet despite this apparent erosion in support, the Jewish community continues to comprise the core base for the special relationship between the United States and Israel.