Episode 26 of the Israel Defense and Diplomacy Forum (IDDF) – with Prof. Chuck Freilich, former Israeli Deputy National Security Advisor, and Danny Ayalon, former Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Washington.

In this episode, Danny advocates a more forceful response to rocket attacks from Gaza, including the cautious response to the recent round in which Hamas fired 104 rockets at Israel. The threat is unacceptable, he argues, and Israel must launch a major operation to strengthen its deterrence and create new rules of the game. Chuck believes that there is a reason that all governments for the last 20 years, left to right, including the current ultra-right wing one, have refrained from a major response, which is that the cost in lives, primarily of IDF soldiers, will be far greater than the price of the current situation. If and when Israel develops an offensive capability that buys more than a few months, at a price it is willing to pay, he too will advocate offensive action, but for the meantime, he supports reliance primarily on defense.

Chuck and Danny then turn to the regional realignment currently underway, in which the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement was a critical turning point. The UAE and other Sunni states are also trying to reduce tensions with Iran, Iran is continuing to expand its influence in the region, including through the current visit by President Raisi to Syria, and Syria is being reintegrated in the Arab world. None of these developments bode well for Israel.

Join us as Chuck and Danny agree and disagree, in detail and in-depth, always respectfully, on the critical issues Israel faces.

The MirYam Institute. Israel's Future in Israel's Hands.

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