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Israel’s low-intensity conflict doctrine - inner conflict
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| 31 August 2004 |
Alon Ben-David JDW Correspondent
Tel Aviv
JDW reports on the radical shake-up of the Israel Defence Force (IDF) as it focuses its resources on fighting what it terms 'sub-conventional warfare'.
As what has become known as the second Intifada enters its fifth year, the IDF is gradually transforming itself from a force designed to fight short conventional wars into a military adapted and aimed at managing a continuous low-intensity conflict (LIC). The effects of the last four years of fighting are evident in every part of the IDF: from structure and equipment to training and military doctrine.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Moshe Ya'alon notes, however, that perhaps to define the current fighting as LIC is too narrow. Gen Ya'alon says the conflict "is better described as sub-conventional warfare - this consists of LIC and also terror and counter-terror operations and various forms of guerrilla warfare".
The IDF has previously experienced asymmetric warfare during the popular, mainly unarmed first Intifada in the West Bank and Gaza from 1987-92 and during the 18 years of guerrilla fighting in Lebanon from 1982-2000. However, it was taken aback by the characteristics of the recent round of violence that broke out in September 2000. What started as an armed struggle directed against the IDF in the territories quickly came to involve an extensive terror campaign inside Israel, led the IDF into reoccupying the West Bank in 2002 and descended into continuous fighting, mainly in highly populated Palestinian urban areas. The traditional strategic doctrine of Israel, which, according to the IDF, was designed for a force geared at striking short and decisive blows at threatening or invading forces, became unsuited to the new situation, as did most of the tactical concepts and thinking of the IDF.
The shift, however, was fast: since taking over the Palestinian territory in Operation 'Defensive Shield' in March 2002, the IDF began developing and improvising solutions to the conflict. All of the IDF's resources, mainly in intelligence, but also in equipment and personnel, were brought into the battle and after 18 months began to bear fruit.
"We are now successful in thwarting more than 90% of planned attacks against Israel," Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told JDW. "The motivation of terror organisations remains high, yet their capabilities have been significantly decreased," he added.
For the first time since the current conflict erupted, Israelis are now marking six months without a suicide bombing inside Israel. In 2004 there have been three suicide attacks in Israel, compared with 18 attacks in 2003 and 38 attacks in 2002. All the bombers came from the West Bank, except in two cases in which bombers got through the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip.
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