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Misreading the Second Lebanon War

[Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs] Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror - Hizbullah casualties were not less than 500 and may have reached 700 - a figure greater than all the casualties Hizbullah has suffered during the last twenty years. It will take Hizbullah at least two years to rebuild its capabilities and to recruit and train new people. Israel also developed a system which made Hizbullah's long-range rocket launchers good for one use only. Within less than five minutes of launch they were destroyed by Israel's air force, an unprecedented achievement in modern warfare. The determination of Israel's government to respond and to retaliate is a very important factor in restoring deterrence. Now those around Israel understand that Israel has certain red lines, and that if these lines are crossed, Israel's retaliation will be intentionally disproportionate. As a small country, we cannot allow ourselves the luxury of reacting proportionally. What is the real mood of the Israeli people after the war? It is that we are not suckers and we are not going to make the same mistake again. We are not going to put ourselves in danger if it is not necessary. We unilaterally retreated from Lebanon and didn't retaliate for six years, and in the end we found Hizbullah in a stronger position to fight against us. When Israel retreated from Gaza what was the result? More Kassam rockets on Sderot and Ashkelon.
2007-01-26 01:00:00
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