The situation that has developed on the Lebanese border since the beginning of the war in October has trapped the State of Israel in serious confusion. It is not a weakness to recognize it as a starting point for strategic clarification. In a limited combat effort, Hezbollah had an unprecedented strategic achievement: all the communities on the conflict line were evacuated from their residents, and the area became a war zone. Reaching Hanita or Manara today is no less dangerous than reaching "Pumpkin" and "Beaufort" in the security zone. Kfar Giladi and Hanita were since their inception a symbol of the resilience of the pioneering settlement in the book, now they are abandoned.
In the winter of 1920, during the struggle for Tel Hai, Ze'ev Jabotinsky recommended in an article in Haaretz that the settlements of the Galilee finger be abandoned in order to protect the lives of the pioneers. Berl Katznelson responded with harsh criticism: "We are not sent by commanders, and the loss of a friend is not easy in our eyes... We want life and know what awaits us when we are gone... And we go because we fulfill our mission. Because in the dignity of the community and in its soul it is the thing. Because it's not a question of a plot of land and some Jewish property here, but a question of the Land of Israel. Because leaving and withdrawing are the decisive example of our laxity and incompetence, and that the only proof of our right to our land, to the unity of Rosh Pina and Metula, is by standing arch-necked, without looking back." (Adar <>)
3 Israeli warplane strikes in a prison village in southern Lebanon, photo: Arab networks
These days, out of concern for the gravity of the situation, and not out of criticism of the residents who evacuated, it is worth describing the depth of the problem. When homes on the conflict line come under direct anti-tank fire every day, even if quiet prevails, returning residents to their homes will not be a simple task. Reaching a political agreement will not be able to guarantee absolute security to the residents of the northern settlements. Even if the IDF takes control of southern Lebanon, from the current border line to the Litani, in a successful combat operation, Hezbollah will continue to possess fire-attack capabilities for the entire northern region and also for the center of the country. Even if some kind of political settlement is reached for the border area, Hezbollah, as a military force, will still be deployed throughout Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. It will continue its efforts to strengthen itself as a strategic threat to the State of Israel, which must prepare for war against it.
American Innocence
Hassan Nasrallah was and continues to be a master at waging struggle and fighting on the brink, in an effort to avoid deterioration into all-out war. This is how it was conducted on Shabbat in the broad fire response to the Galilee. It focuses mainly on damaging the morale of the State of Israel, humiliating its honor. He strived for this achievement in September 2022, when he made Israel's agreement on the maritime border agreement look like a form of protection payment, on condition that no war break out.
This is what he is striving for these days as well, in his demands for border repairs, from the Shebaa Farms, which constitute the entire Har Dov area, to the claim to the seven villages (abandoned during the War of Independence and whose residents fled to Lebanon – and today Hezbollah demands that they be returned to its sovereignty). American mediator Amos Hochstein, who seeks to settle the points of contention, is far from understanding the dynamics of ongoing blackmail. In this process, Israel is required to give up real and permanent assets, land areas, in exchange for liquid gains that lack permanent reality, such as political agreements, or the temporary removal of Hezbollah forces from the border.
Amos Hochstein, Photo: Reuters
Israel's false expectations are not new. They were already expressed in the withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000, under the false assumption that with the withdrawal from all Lebanese soil – in full Israeli compliance with UN Resolution 425 – Hezbollah would lay down its arms. Since then, Hezbollah's threats have intensified and the blackmail processes against Israel are becoming more sophisticated. From this arises a strategic embarrassment that urgently needs to be addressed in a breakthrough to a new Israeli strategic perspective.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us