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The Iranian Strategy of "Wearing Down Political Will" in Israel

(Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) Aviram Balleishe - The Iranians are partners in the current negotiations relating to the Gaza war. They seek to end the war, preserve Hamas's rule, and ensure its recovery. The resistance axis and Iran are attempting to end the war in Gaza without a deal. To help achieve this, they are waging a campaign aimed at influencing public opinion and wearing down political will in Israel, combined with an ongoing war of attrition in Gaza with its continued casualties. New kinds of strikes from the West Bank, including suicide attacks and car bombings, alongside continued rocket fire from the north, further increase the military pressure and create a sense of vulnerability in Israel. Iranian analysts recommend intensifying the cognitive warfare campaign, using public opinion in a country under attack as a weapon against it. Iran already made successful use of a similar strategy during the student protests in the United States, where the strategy involved turning the protesters against the U.S. itself. The aim is to undermine Israel's political will so that it will alter its behavior and cease to fight. Iranian analysts claim that, in the wake of the horrific murder of the six kidnapped individuals, Israeli public sentiment can be exploited against the government in a way that weakens the Israeli security establishment's will to continue the war in Gaza. This is the basic strategy of the resistance axis, and fomenting street demonstrations and other pressures on the government is part of the process. The writer, Senior Director for Security, Diplomacy, and Communications at the Jerusalem Center, has served in senior government positions for over 25 years.
2024-09-12 00:00:00
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