According to international defense reports citing Arab media, Tzachi Hanegbi, a former internal security advisor for Israel, stated that Palestinians have demonstrated remarkable resilience over the past two years, refusing to succumb to oppression.
Hanegbi noted that despite Israel’s full backing from the United States, Palestinians have realized significant strategic achievements, which encompass the release of prisoners, a resurgence of the Palestinian issue, and the international marginalization of Israel.In a detailed article published in the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Hanegbi warned against underestimating adversaries and emphasized that the next surprise could occur sooner than anticipated.
He raised a series of strategic questions regarding the Gaza war and the Iranian situation, including whether a deal would be reached, if such an agreement would halt Iranian support for resistance fronts, whether an attack from the U.S. would materialize, and what the potential consequences for Hamas in Gaza would be.Hanegbi asserted that Hamas achieved tactical successes during the October 7 attack, some of which have evolved into strategic outcomes.
He identified four significant strategic transformations arising from the conflict: first, the lost opportunity for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia; second, the revival of the Palestinian issue, which has returned to the forefront after a period of decline, alongside the re-emergence of the two-state solution discussion.The third transformation involves the emergence of an unforeseen adversary in Yemen namely the Houthis which Hanegbi claims has inflicted diverse damages on Israel with no sufficient deterrence established against them.
The fourth transformation pertains to the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court against Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant which Hanegbi insists remains valid with the possibility of additional warrants. He believes this situation will impact the operational freedom and mobility of Israeli officials.
