"Israel's decision to go to war against Hamas following the October 7 atrocities elicited not only criticism from rivals and enemies, but also doubt, skepticism, and even opposition from our American friends. They even sent military experts to Israel to "advise" it not to go to war, since in their view it would not be able to decisively defeat Hamas. You will get bogged down in a futile battle, they warned, and sink into the Gaza quagmire, just as you sank into the Lebanese one four decades ago, and as America itself got entangled in Iraq and Afghanistan and earlier in Vietnam.
Israel did not heed this advice, and rightly so. The war against Hamas brought significant achievements: The IDF now effectively controls most of the strip's territory and nothing happens without Israel's approval – no civilian movement, no transfer of equipment and food, and of course no rehabilitation activity. True, individual terrorists and even terror cells are still active in the field, just as they are in Judea and Samaria, but Hamas, as an organized army with commands, camps, and weapon caches, and as a governing body managing life in the strip – has been decisively defeated and toppled."
*The opinions expressed in MDC publications are the authors’ alone.
Read the full article in English - here.
Read the full article in Hebrew - here.