A military operation in northern Samaria is apparently a matter of time, not necessarily due to operational considerations on the part of security officials, but because of public pressure on the government, which it finds difficult to withstand.
During such an operation, the IDF will take over villages and towns in the area, and perhaps even the city of Jenin, capture a large number of wanted persons, eliminate prominent terrorist operatives in the area and seize weapons. But in the absence of real goals and objectives, the achievements in such an operation will be limited and partial. After all, this is not Gaza, where Hamas has established and even operates a real army, but rather an area that is already under Israel's watchful eyes, where the terrorist organizations do not have an infrastructure of warehouses and training bases.
IDF activity in Judea and Samaria, photo: IDF Spokesperson
And like the beginning and course of the operation, its end is also known in advance. Under pressure from military commanders, who are not interested in friction with the Palestinian civilian population, as well as pressure from the American administration, the army will rush out of the territories it has taken over, and within a few days or weeks terrorist acts will resume – and again and again.
It is impossible to agree to a routine of terror and terror attacks, and it must be fought uncompromisingly and without stopping. But it is a mistake to assume that a military move, smooth and successful as it may be, will magically address the challenge Israel has faced since the IDF took control of the West Bank in the Six-Day War 56 years ago this month.
The fluctuations in the waves of terrorism can always be explained by one specific event or another that inflamed the spirits and motivated the terrorists, some of whom are "lone terrorists" – that is, they do not belong to any terrorist organization and act without a guiding hand. It is also possible to attribute the terrorist attacks in recent months to the general atmosphere prevailing on the ground – the loss of control by the Palestinian Authority, the weakness projected by Israel at home, and more.
But in the end, terrorism has accompanied us since the early days of the Zionist enterprise, and it is part of the struggle for the land. And a military operation, however successful, is not enough to bring about the end of the struggle – and in fact the end of the war, which has been going on for generations.
Israeli security forces during counterterrorism activities, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Israel – and at least its government, with broad support from the Israeli public, as the recent elections proved – seeks to secure its control over Judea and Samaria and settle these areas, while the Palestinians struggle to prevent us from realizing these intentions, and seek to become landlords in the West Bank and Gaza, perhaps as an opening for their struggle for control of the rest of the Land of Israel as well.
It is possible that in the future the day will come, and we are still far from it, when the Palestinians will give up, give up the struggle and perhaps even reach the conclusion that it is better for them to accept Israel's continued rule in the West Bank. Presumably, if they are offered to annex Israeli territory and become its citizens, many of them will jump at the bargain as a source of great spoils.
But as long as this is not the case, the struggle will continue and will have its ups and downs, and we must conduct it with restraint and determination, mainly because Israel is the strong side, and also the one that benefits from continued quiet and stability and loses from any deterioration and loss of control.
Near Shiloh, an attempted attack by two Arab terrorists with improvised weapons
But the question is not only what will happen the day after the military operation, but also what will happen the day after 87-year-old Mahmoud Abbas, who is gradually losing control of the PA and the territory. The defense establishment remains convinced that it is better to preserve the PA, which for years has been a partner in Israel in the effort to maintain quiet in the territories under its control, rather than try to replace it and get the IDF to patrol the streets of Nablus or Jenin. But it is not clear that whoever succeeds Abbas will want or will be able to maintain governance and ensure quiet in PA territory.
In such a reality, the Israeli-Palestinian struggle will continue, and we must conduct it with determination but also with endless patience, because whoever persists and shows cohesion and resilience will win. And perhaps it will be of help to us if we finally decide on the goals of this struggle – ongoing security, or ensuring Israel's presence in the West Bank.
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