Military and Political Lessons of Operation Protective Edge – BESA Center Conference

By BESA CenterOctober 1, 2014

On Monday, September 29, the BESA Center hosted a public conference on the Military and Political Lessons of Operation Protective Edge.

Our outstanding line-up of speakers included distinguished guests Lt. Gen. (res) Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Maj. Gen. (res.) Israel Ziv, Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen, Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman and Prof. Uzi Arad. BESA Center researchers Mr. Uzi Rubin, Prof. Eytan Gilboa, Prof. Hillel Frisch and senior fellow Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaacov Amidror, also joined the panel.

Lt. Gen. Ya’alon: 80% of Hamas rockets destroyed

Ya’alon opened the conference by revealing that prior to Operation Protective Edge, Hamas had approximately 10,000 rockets and mortars. After thousands of these were fired or destroyed by Israel, Hamas is left with approximately 2,000 rockets. He also claimed that 2,100 Palestinians were killed during the operation, “most of them terrorists”, and 7,000 houses were destroyed.

In his assessment of the outcome of the operation, Ya’alon stated “I understand the longing for a victory like that of the Six-Day War, but I keep reminding people: That glorious military victory didn’t bring quiet, except for during a very limited time period …. The question of Operation Protective Edge’s achievements will be judged by the test of time. We’ll also have to see how we prevent Hamas and other organizations from rearming – the potential for doing so exists. I hope the future will prove that this operation achieved a long period of quiet and deterrence not only in the Gaza Strip, but in the entire region.”

Dr Yuval Steinitz: Abbas a worse enemy than Arafat

In his closing address, Dr. Yuval Steinitz recognised President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, as a more serious enemy of Israel than his predecessor, Yasser Arafat.

The Minister of Strategic and Intelligence Affairs claimed that to deflect attention away from the shortcomings of the PA’s leadership, Abbas has chosen to accuse Israel of commiting genocide during Operation Protective Edge. Although unlike Arafat, Abbas has rejected terror, Steinitz asserted that his inability to disband terrorist organizations in the West Bank and to demilitarize Gaza is far more problematic. According to Steinitz, Abbas’s ideology is stronger than Arafat’s since he ” negates the existence of a Jewish state and the right of the Jewish people to have a state of their own. For Abu Mazen there are no Jewish people.”

Click on the links below to read some of the articles written about the conference:

Military and Political Lessons of Operation Protective Edge – BESA Center Conference

Lt. Gen. Ya’alon: 80% of Hamas rockets destroyed

Dr Yuval Steinitz: Abbas a worse enemy than Arafat

Steinitz: Abbas Outdoes Arafat as Enemy

Hamas Still Has 2,000 Rockets and Mortors, Says Minister Ayalon

לחמאס נשארו רק 20% מהרקטות שהיו ברשותו

יעלון: חמאס איבד 80 אחוז מארסנל הרקטות שלו וספג פגיעה אסטרטגית

לחמאם נשארו 20% מהרקטות

יעלון: לחמאס נותרו כ- 20% ממלאי הרקטות שהיו לו לפני מבצא צוק איתן

חמאס חוזר לייצור עצמי של רקטות

יעלון:השמדנו 80% מהרקטות של חמאס

יעלון: חמאס נשאר עם 20% ממלאי הרקטות והפצמ”רים

יעלון: בעקבות המבצע, חמאס במצוקה אסטרטגית

“בריטניה הכי אנטישמית, בעיקר בגלל התקשורת”

אלוף (מיל’) ישראל זיו: ייתכן שקט לכמה שנים

שטייניץ: הסכם עם אירן – רע או רע מאוד

יעלון: הפסקת האש – הישג מדיני

יעלון: לחמאס נותרו כ–20 אחוז ממלאי הרקטות שהחזיק לפני צוק איתן

Minister Ya’alon: Hamas Still Retains 20 Percent of Rockets, Mortars

Ya’alon: Gaza Artillery Inventory Down to20 Percent

יעלון: בעזה נשארו 20 אחוז מהרקטות

Ya’alon: IDF Destroyed 80% of Hamas Rockets in Gaza War

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