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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-892015
After Oct. 7, Containment Is Dead
(Jerusalem Post) David M. Weinberg - After the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas, Israel cannot brook illusions about the dawn of regional peace, nor can it return to "containment" policies that prioritized diplomacy over decisive military triumphs against jihadist adversaries. Israel can no longer accept policies that emphasize "quiet for quiet" and prioritize "restraint," because this allowed enemies to develop attack capabilities under the cover of diplomatic breathing time. That approach failed. Therefore, Israel is gearing up for extended conflict at varying degrees of intensity, basing itself on a more aggressive mix between diplomacy and the use of force to scuttle enemy threats. Israel intends to proactively assert dominance along its borders and strategic ascendancy against threats farther away. Operation Roaring Lion in Iran is a demonstration of this. Even after President Trump pauses American strikes on Iran, expect Israel to continue to make fierce, surprise moves against enemy strongholds throughout the region. Israel wants to be feared and militarily dominant - not loved. Jerusalem knows that its neighbors will seek true reconciliation only when Israel is strong. The writer is managing senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.