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Israel's Primary Consideration Is Restoring Deterrence
(Israel Hayom) Meir Ben Shabbat - Israel cannot afford to end the war with the impression that it cannot topple Hamas. If this becomes the conclusion of its enemies and other actors in the region, it would significantly harm its efforts to restore deterrence. Moreover, Israel cannot relinquish the gains it has made at such a high cost, and certainly cannot hand Hamas a lifeline or provide conditions that would enable its recovery. Much work remains to destroy Hamas's military and governmental capabilities. As long as the IDF controls the Philadelphi Corridor and continues to operate within Gaza, it is eroding Hamas's capabilities, undermining its public standing, and forcing it to focus all its efforts on survival. The U.S.'s ability to influence Hamas to change its positions is minimal, if it exists at all. Against this backdrop, it is likely that U.S. compromise formulas would erode Israel's positions. The very idea of offering concessions to "calm" Iran and Hizbullah contradicts the objective of deterring them. The writer, a former Israeli national security advisor, is chairman of the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy in Jerusalem.