ABSTRACT
Israel’s political and military leadership was ill-prepared for the war against Hizballah in the summer of 2006. The policy adopted following the unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000 was characterized by low-profile containment, the hope being that Israel’s deterrence would suffice in order to prevent an escalation. Former Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer addressed Israel’s reluctance to deal militarily with the Hizballah threat, explaining that the launching of the Palestinian terrorist campaign against Israel in September 2000 had reinforced Israel’s Lebanese policy and its desire to refrain from opening up a second front. Moreover, Israel feared that an encounter with Lebanon could bring about an escalation with Syria. A secondary consideration was the economic blooming of the North and of its tourist industry. A war would bring a halt to the development and return the North to its pre-2000 state, when the region was subject to repeated Katyusha attacks.1 Yet, Israel’s deterrence failed and various Hizballah provocations over the years, such as the abduction of Israeli soldiers, Katyusha attacks on Israel’s northern settlements, and terrorist attacks across the border, elicited only restrained responses on the part of Israel.2
