Guardian of the WallsTuesday 25/05/2021

The recent 11 day conflict between Israel and Hamas was named “Operation Guardian of the Walls” by Israel. Hamas has named it the “Sword of Jerusalem.” Hamas, a terrorist organization was waiting for the right opportunity to ignite the region and enter a violent confrontation with Israel. Its leaders were interested in declaring publically, that they have control over all affairs regarding Jerusalem. The matter of the evacuation of families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem (in accordance with the ruling of the Israeli court), along with the perceived weakness of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, provided Hamas with the appropriate pretext. Thus, on May 10, on the day Israel celebrates the unification of Jerusalem, Hamas initiated a missile attack on Jerusalem. For Israel, this attack turned into an opportunity to critically undermine the terrorist threat posed by Hamas and militant groups operating in Gaza.

Israel made it clear that it will not tolerate being fired upon. And to have rockets launched at its capital, Jerusalem, was unacceptable!

The political echelon in Israel set three goals for Operation Guardian of the Walls:

1. – Increasing Israeli military deterrence capabilities
2. – Destruction of terrorist infrastructure, elimination of the rocket manufacturing and launching capacities of Hamas
3. – Separating Hamas from any affairs related to Jerusalem

A review of the results of Operation Guardian of the Walls reveals a partial success. Israeli military deterrence capabilities have been restored through the almost total destruction of rocket production capacity in the Gaza Strip and critical damage to the “Gaza Metro,” Hamas’ tunnel network. Hamas was the first to ask for a ceasefire. As for the third goal that Israel set, the severance of Hamas’ connection to Jerusalem, it seems that unfortunately, Israel has failed here. Hamas, succeeded in framing the national and political narrative in which it operated, linking the fate of the Gaza Strip to that of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Hamas made it clear to Israel and the entire world that it has no problem sacrificing Gaza, and its two million citizens, to gain Jerusalem. This was confirmed in a speech given by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau, from his seat in Qatar, in which he states that Hamas is fighting not for the Gaza Strip, but for Jerusalem.

Hamas’ most notable achievement was without a doubt, the ability to create additional battle fronts for Israel. From the northern border with Lebanon and by igniting internal conflicts in Israel’s cities, leading to unprecedented attacks by Israeli Arabs on Jews which in turn led Israeli nationalists to reciprocate. This phenomenon carried beyond the borders of Israel when Palestinians and Muslims brutally attacked Jews in New York and Los Angeles, London and France. However, Hamas’s attempts to light up the West Bank were fortunately, not successful.

The main lesson that Israel must learn from this last round of conflict lies precisely in the goal that Israel did not set for itself. Israel did not define the issue of hasbara (Israeli diplomacy) as a clear goal and perhaps as a result it failed miserably. It honestly must be said; Israel has not been able to withstand the flood of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian messaging spread on social media. Israel failed to reveal Hamas’s true face and its desire to deliberately harm uninvolved civilians on both sides of the conflict. Israel has also failed to show the world how the IDF operates in an impressively surgical way, using advanced technological means to avoid harming civilians. Non-functioning hasbara damaged Israel, this is exhibited by the lack of political support given to it by European countries. The pressure that rose from social media, exploded onto the streets and then returned to social media, accelerated the political timeframe that Israel had to achieve its goals. Israel’s strengths and supremacy in every military parameter had a negative effect on its hasbara efforts.

In order to change the balance of power in the field of hasbara, Israel must establish, as soon as possible, a single body entrusted with the task of creating a coherent and uniform narrative.

For Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, Operation Guardian of the Walls was also an opportunity to strengthen ties with the new Biden administration. Biden, who was under pressure from European countries and the UN to compel Israel to end the operation after five days of fighting, conducted eight phone calls with Netanyahu. Netanyahu certainly understood the message and decided to end this round, making the appropriate political gesture to Biden. Israel needs the United States by its side on other fronts. The Iranian threat is perhaps the most prominent of them.

The entrance into an agreement of ceasefire at 2:00am Friday morning was only made possible by Biden’s demand to Egyptian President Al Sisi that he guarantees that the violent factions in Gaza stop the rocket fire. The strategic alliance between Israel and the United States is certainly one of the most important in Israel’s foreign relations. The United States by stopping three attempts of the UN Security Council to condemn Israel, has once again proven that despite disagreements on certain issues, it stands by Israel.

Operation Guardian of the Walls in numbers:

• – 11 days of fighting
• – 12 Israelis killed
• – 4,000 +  rockets fired at Israel, 90% of them intercepted by the IDF
• – 5 senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders killed
• – 680 rockets launched by Hamas misfired hitting Gazan civilians
• – 200 + Gazan civilians killed
• – 20 terrorist operatives killed by Hamas fire
• – 100 + kilometers of terrorism tunnels demolished
• – 100 + terrorist operatives eliminated
• – Over two million Gazan civilians held hostage by the terrorist organization Hamas
• – One Iron Dome system

By Adv. Uri Morad