The action in Nablus, in which 11 Palestinians were killed yesterday during a raid on "Lions' Guard" operatives in Nablus, requires a double view: tactical and strategic.
Tactically - it was a successful operation.
The targets targeted by the activity are known terrorist operatives, some of whom have been involved in attacks in the past (including the attack in which IDF soldier Ido Baruch was killed), and there was information regarding them of an intention to carry out attacks in the future as well. Israel tried to capture some of them in the past, without success, and from the moment they arrived Shin Bet focused information on their hiding place was given the green light.
Watch the footage from the helmet cameras of the soldiers of the Border Guard who acted to thwart wanted persons in the Kasbah of Nablus // Photo: Police spokesmen (MGB)
The riots in Nablus, photo: AFP
The wanted chose to fight
The forces in the field operated under fire and at high risk.
The large number of casualties on the Palestinian side is related to the fact that the wanted chose not to surrender, but to fight - including real-time activity on social networks, both in an attempt to call for help and provoke resistance in the city, and also to make themselves heroes (and not retrospectively) in Palestinian nationalism.
The fact that there were no casualties among the IDF, IDF and Shin Bet fighters in such a complex operation, in the middle of a civilian population and in broad daylight, is related to the high skill of the forces, but also to the massive use of force from the moment the wanted opened fire.
The announcements published by the IDF yesterday tended to reduce the event to these dimensions: a successful operation against terrorist targets, which ended in the killing of the wanted and the safe return of the forces home. But examining the event in such a narrow and limited prism is one-dimensional and dangerous, and it is hoped that it is not present in the discussions that preceded the operation and in these after him.
The house where the wanted persons were hiding is bombed by the forces, photo: IDF spokesman
Israel has no choice but to conduct such operations, and with increasing frequency, against the background of the extent of the threats and warnings of terrorist attacks in the West Bank. But it must not ignore the fact that these operations are becoming more violent, and that their wave of attack is steadily expanding far beyond the geographical limits of the specific operation.
The fear: revenge attacks
This was true last month, when an operation in which 13 Palestinians were killed in Jenin led to shootings from Gaza and revenge attacks in Jerusalem, and it can be assumed that this will also be the case now, certainly after the two leading terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip - Hamas and Islamic Jihad - have already announced that they "will not give up They have the right to comment on the action in Nablus."
The immediate meaning is readiness for rocket fire from Gaza, and not for the first time in recent times.
Although the Iron Dome is widely deployed in the south - and it can be assumed that increased forces will be deployed along the border as well, to prevent attempts to cross or harm the fence and the residents - but the escalation trend is also clear in Gaza, which is having trouble standing by when the Jewish state is bleeding: 49 Palestinian deaths since the beginning of the year, continuing to more than 150 deaths last year.
11 were killed in today's events, photo: IPA
Documentation: The Palestinians claim - the fighters who participated in the activity in Nablus disguised themselves as sheikhs // Photo: Arab Networks
Jerusalem first
And Gaza is the little headache.
The growing unrest in the Palestinian Authority, at the same time as the twilight of Abu Mazen's rule and the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, increase the risk of a violent outbreak on a large scale, of which the Shin Bet and Amman have been warning for a long time.
To this should be added East Jerusalem, where the policy of force dictated by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gabir, does not calm the area - but actually agitates it and increases the number of warnings about terrorist attacks.
And all this happens a few weeks before Ramadan, which is prone to calamities more than ever.
Security forces operate in the eastern part of the city last Sunday, photo: AFP
Israel is capable of such security challenges.
But for this it must act wisely, and not with statements without cover, as the government used to do after the last attacks.
In order to lead an extensive movement in the Palestinian arena, it needs international legitimacy, which does not currently exist.
The legal reform eroded support for Israel in the world.
If the Netanyahu government does not manage to strengthen support in the world as part of creating deterrence against its enemies - it will discover that its legal moves will harm Israel not only in the stock market, the dollar exchange rate and media reports, but also on the battlefield.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us