Video Interview with Yair Golan

A transcript of the video is below. I’m Yair Golan, a former general in the Israeli Defense Forces until 2017. I was the Deputy Chief of Staff. Since then I became a politician in leftist parties and I served as a member of the Knesset from 2019 to 2022. Q: What did you do on […]

The Ground War in Gaza Begins

IDF soldiers take position in the Gaza Strip, November 4, 2023. Photo credit: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS.

The week of fighting on the ground that began on Saturday, October 27 was tough. There were Israeli military casualties and Gazan civilian casualties. The worst incident for Israel came when a Namer armored personnel carrier was hit with a missile and eleven soldiers were killed. A well-known tank commander, Salman Habaka, who had played a key role […]

Reader’s Response: Russia is a Marginal Player in the Gaza War

Photos credit: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS, Mohammed Talatene/dpa via Reuters Connect.

The article by Stephen Blank of October 25, “Russia’s Role in the Gaza War,” provides much good evidence of Russia’s initial efforts to capitalize on the war for its own purposes. But that article may have overestimated the extent of Russian involvement in and influence over Hamas, Hizbullah and indeed over Iran. The Kremlin aspires […]

Gazan Civilian Casualties: Hamas’ Strategy and Israel’s Achilles Heel

Aftermath of the attack by Hamas gunmen on Kibbutz Beeri, October 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Israel has correctly assessed the October 7 attack as an existential threat to the state. To be sure, Hamas could never overrun Israel. But if Hamas remains capable of such attacks, possibly coordinated next time with the greater military threats of Lebanese Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran, Israel could be pushed to the brink (as nearly […]

How Could This Happen?

Photo credit: IMAGO/Saeed Qaq via Reuters Connect

Israelis woke up on 7 October 2023 to a day of grief, outrage, and ultimately, incomprehension.  It was not the missiles which mattered. Israelis have grown accustomed to missile attacks from Gaza. The horrors which gradually unfolded resulted from an overland breach of the Gaza border defenses. At various points in time on October 7, 14 […]