PHILADELPHIA – April 25, 2023 – Israel's failure to protect its civilians on Oct. 7 proved that the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) tactical skills do not compensate for the security establishment's lack of strategy. For years, Israel systematically underestimated Hamas, overestimated its own intelligence capabilities, and devised complex war plans that proved mostly useless.
A new Middle East Forum report by Zvi Hauser, "Swords of Iron War – Principles of Victory" (click for Hebrew version), a former Knesset member and cabinet secretary, seeks to redefine Israel's posture by transitioning from reactive tactics to anticipatory and preventive strategies, arguing that these promise the country a more secure and stable future.
Hauser calls on Israel to enact bold, proactive measures in Gaza to achieve victory and recover its reputation as a nation respected by its friends and feared by its enemies, including:
- Security – tightly control Gaza via buffer zones and loss of territory to ensure no further attacks.
- Demilitarization – all heavy weapons must be removed from Gaza; no reconstruction aid permitted absent total demilitarization.
- Expel Hamas – its military capabilities must be eliminated or expelled, much as occurred with the PLO in Lebanon in 1982.
- Lower expectations – Gaza will remain dysfunctional after Hamas's defeat. Israel should tolerate this and focus solely on preventing security threats.
"Israel's enemies are watching closely to see if the public promises about 'total victory' are serious or just political posturing," said MEF director Gregg Roman. "Zvi Hauser offers a bold plan how decisively to defeat Hamas and regain the initiative."
The Middle East Forum, a non-profit organization, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western civilization from Islamism. It does so through a combination of original ideas, focused activism, and funding allies. For more information, visit www.meforum.org.
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman
roman@meforum.org
+1 (215) 546 5406
