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Has Israeli Deterrence Been Restored?

by Daniel Pipes
September 20, 2007

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Question asked of Jerusalem Post columnists: "Do you think comments made earlier this week by OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin by which Israel's deterrence had been restored were premature?" For all replies, see "Burning Issues #40: Israeli Deterrence."

	Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin of the Israel Defence Forces.

The statement by Yadlin to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sep. 16 was something of a throw-away line, asserting that since the Lebanon War of mid-2006, Israeli deterrence "is having an impact on the whole region, including on Iran and Syria." One does not know exactly what facts or reasoning lie behind this assessment.

I disagree. Deterrence is not something established by a single raid but through a persistent, protracted effort over years and decades. Israeli leaders laboriously built up such a reputation during the era 1948-93, only then to throw it away by adopting a policy of appeasement. It will take years of hard work – not yet begun, I might add – to reestablish the old deterrence. For now, Israel's many enemies are feeling emboldened and aggressive. (September 20, 2007)

Related Topics: Arab-Israel conflict & diplomacy, Israel receive the latest by email: subscribe to daniel pipes' free mailing list This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.