Infinity Journal Volume 6, Issue 4, Summer 2019

Volume 6, Issue 4, Summer 2019 Infinity Journal Page 23 Why are Israel and Hamas each failing to achieve their goals vis-à-vis each other by use of force? Strategy deals with employing the means available in order to achieve your political goals. Israel has many means, superior military strength, impressive economic capability and significant international support.So why is it failing to achieve its goals against Hamas in Gaza? Hamas has invested considerable fortune and time to build a varied terrorist and guerrilla capability, including rockets that can reach Israel's economic centers, offensive tunnels into Israel and defensive tunnels inside Gaza and more. Despite this investment Hamas has failed to achieve its goals against Israel. Both rivals in this long-duration violent conflict in Gaza have many tools for violence and despite that fail to achieve their goals – does this result from negligent strategic conduct? Or is it the result of a more profound strategic principle that resides in the dynamics of limited protracted conflicts? In this article I will attempt to show that the latter is correct – these failures are due not to bad strategy but to the natural dynamic of such conflicts. Changing the strategic situation will be possible only as the consequence of a significant political-diplomatic move or war. Israel's Objectives Against Hamas Israel's government has no long-term operational goal towards Gaza.Israel has no solution it is attempting to achieve in Gaza. Israel declares that it is interested in a change of regime in Gaza, replacing Hamas, but Israel has no strategy for achieving this long-term goal. Instead Israel follows only short-term goals – maintaining its security, while attempting to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza by providing it with a measured level of funding and basic supplies. Also, Israel wants the return of two Israeli civilians who crossed the border into Gaza for unknown reasons and the bodies of two soldiers killed in Operation 'Protective Edge' (2014). Israel's Means Israel has military and political tools it can use to attempt to influence Hamas. Militarily, Israel has defensive and offensive means, the sophistication of which has no precedent. Israel has the most advanced anti rocket and mortar defensive system in the world. It is completing a defensive system against Hamas' offensive tunnels and it seems that Hamas has accepted the loss of this capability in which it invested tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of tons of scarce concrete. Offensively Israel has high-quality intelligence and a precise powerful strike capability. In recent years Israel has struck subterranean targets as well as other facilities and posts belonging to Hamas. Politically in recent years Israel is enjoying a flowering of regional relationships that enables it to employ these relationships against Hamas – especially with Egypt that controls access to Gaza and acts a mediator between the rivals. The Gulf States are willing to donate money to Hamas to buy quiet and the USA provides unlimited backing. Hamas Objectives Against Israel Hamas' current leadership too, focuses on short-term goals. The ultimate declared goal of annihilating Israel remains Gur Laish Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Gur Laish is a retired Israel Air Force (IAF) Colonel and former Senior Director for National Security Strategy at Israel’s National Security Council. Laish has served as, among others, the head of the IAF Warfare Planning Department and he has been involved in strategic planning for both the IAF and the Israel Defense Force. He currently works as a Performance Analyst for Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. To cite this Article: Laish, Gur, “Why Israel and Hamas Fail to Achieve a Strategic Change”, Infinity Journal , Volume 6, Issue 4, summer 2019, pages 23-26. Why Israel and Hamas Fail toAchieve a Strategic Change ID 27684198 © Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com