Israel Debates No. 1 26. February 2009 The Israeli domestic discussion on the Gaza war The Cast Lead military operation that the Israeli military waged against Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, from December 27, 2008 through January 17, 2009, was and is still being intensely discussed in public in Israel, as well as among Israeli politicians and security experts. From the outset, Israeli public opinion – with the exception of the country’s Arab citizens – was overwhelmingly in favor of the operation. When the hostilities ended after 22 days, some 50% of Israelis even called for the fighting to continue, not believing that the threat from the Gaza Strip has been definitively dealt with. Another characteristic of public opinion is that practically there were no expressions of empathy with the large number of casualties among the Gaza Strip’s population, among the population generally as well as in the media. Below we present the opposing views of two renowned Israeli security experts, illustrating the range of the Israeli domestic debate on the handling and results of the military operation. Although the two authors reach radically different conclusions, they both advance valid arguments for their positions. Dr. Reuven Pedatzur, a lecturer at Netanya College, represents a highly critical position on Operation Cast Lead. He concludes that the“use of military force against Hamas was unavoidable,” but that this does not justify the“excessive use” thereof. He also identifies the unclear objective and the lack of an exit strategy, and in light of the“satisfaction and self­praise” on the part of the military and the politicians, he warns against drawing inappropriate conclusions from this operation, which was“not war – it is not even a real battle.” In contrast, Prof. Ephraim Inbar of Bar-Ilan University believes that this time – as opposed to the 2006 Lebanon War – the Israeli military did its job very well. For him, it made appropriate use of military means. He indicates that, although Hamas was greatly weakened, it will still continue to rule the Gaza Strip. He sees the two-state solution as a“meaningless undertaking,” and calls for a“more realistic basis” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dr. Ralf Hexel Director, FES Office Israel 26. February 2009 1