Last night’s ceasefire is a strategic failure for Israel. While the end of military action must be welcomed, it is hard to see what Netanyahu has achieved beyond the killing of Ahmed Jabari. Despite a week of tit-for-tat missile fire, Israel secured none of its strategic objectives. In fact, in many cases it actually strengthened Hamas and diminished Israel’s security. Here’s some of the ways in which Israel has been weakened by Operation Pillar of Defence:
1) Hamas was able to break the psychological barrier of attacking Tel Aviv. No one has fired missiles at the city since 1991 when Saddam Hussein tried to undermine coalition forces in Operation Desert Storm. In the interim Israel threatened that any further attacks on Tel Aviv would necessitate a strong and overwhelming military response. In the event, Hamas shot at Tel Aviv and Israel failed to respond; this will have encouraged the Iranians.
2) Hamas is claiming it ‘defeated’ Israeli forces in the latest confrontation, strengthening its position among jihadists and emboldening their hostility towards Israel.
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