Michael Herzog: Discussing the Gaza Dilemma

Rosner's Domain

Israel’s policy toward Gaza is fraught with dilemmas, says Brig. General (Res.) Michael Herzog. Its policy is based on containment and its current goal is to communicate a clear message that Hamas miscalculated when it opened fire on Israeli cities. Whether the Biden administration is going to give Israel the time to deliver such a message, only time will tell.

In today's podcast, Herzog argues that, up until now, no one presented a viable and practical plan that could alter the situation in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority is too weak to control Gaza, Israel does not wish to control it, and a chaos without any control would not be better than Hamas rule. Under such conditions, Israel has little choice but to try and deter Hamas from launching attacks on Israel, by making sure that such attacks result in Hamas losing more than it is gaining. International pressure makes such a goal a complicated one to achieve.

Herzog is a former IDF senior officer. He rose through the military ranks to become head of the IDF’s strategic planning division, then moved to hold senior positions in the office of Israel’s Minister of Defense, under four ministers and was the Chief of Staff to Minister Ehud Barak. He is currently a fellow at the Washington Institute and the Jewish People Policy Institute.

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