by Jonatan Shimshoni | The Hill
As Israel and the U.S. wage an all‑out air war against Iran, many are already questioning whether this conflict was wise, and whether it will truly topple the Iranian regime or stabilize the Middle East.
After more than 25 years in Israel Defense Forces field command and staff roles, I am not shy about the imperative of power. But I also know that force alone cannot give Israelis the peace and security they deserve. And furthermore, that overreliance on force is likely to provide less – not more – security.
For decades, Israel has leaned on the belief that overwhelming military force can deliver lasting security. Leaders frequently insist that force is the only language Israel’s adversaries understand and that it is locked in a “zero-sum” struggle where risk taking is unacceptable. This mindset sidelines the other essential tools of statecraft – diplomacy, conciliation, economics, political agreements and even alliances with former adversaries.
Since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, this force‑centric approach has been elevated dramatically. The Netanyahu government appears to be pursuing permanent, absolute security by eliminating all threatening capabilities of its enemies.
Netanyahu’s call for “absolute victory” over Hamas was not rhetorical. Acting within this paradigm, Israel has devastated much of Gaza, seeks to fully destroy Hezbollah, occupies parts of Syria, aims for regime change in Iran (including wholesale decapitation) and continues to suppress and displace Palestinians in the West Bank. This approach expels strategic thinking, relegating all solutions to the doorstep of force. It is a dangerous illusion.
Indeed, our current reality shows that force alone has not delivered true security. Quite the opposite, it appears to lock Israel into expensive and internally dislocating perpetual conflict, as adversaries with interests, aspirations and will find ways to resist. Major powers, far stronger than Israel, have learned this lesson – for example, the U.S. in Vietnam or Russia in Afghanistan and now Ukraine.
Closer to home: Just months after Israel’s decisive victory and capture of the Sinai, Egypt launched a grinding war of attrition, costing hundreds of Israeli lives. Israel failed to understand how humiliation and occupation could fuel renewed hostilities, culminating in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Ultimately, it was diplomacy, backed by the U.S. and involving conciliation (the return of Sinai), that produced a durable, if cold, peace.
Israel is now using its power to start ridding the West Bank of Palestinians. Since Oct. 7, the government has increasingly allowed militant settler groups to attack Palestinians in the West Bank, often with indifference or even assistance from the Israeli Defense Forces. At the same time, Israel has weakened the Palestinian Authority. These moves only radicalize the population and strengthen extremist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has openly argued that such pressure will push Palestinians to migrate, accept permanent non‑citizen status or take up arms — after which the IDF can crush them. The goal is total: to clear the land for future annexation in pursuit of a messianic vision of Greater Israel.
Tragically, this campaign has achieved short‑term tactical results. Many Palestinians have been driven out by violence and harassment, abandoning homes, fields and livestock. This has enabled de facto annexation. But these “successes” only guarantee long‑term instability, radicalization and continued armed resistance. Critically, they make normalization with key Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, unachievable.
Israel’s overreliance on force has produced profound international isolation. A recent Gallup poll showed, for the first time, that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than with Israel – likely a reaction to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Support continues to drop in Europe as well. This trend may worsen as Israel is increasingly blamed for drawing the U.S. into war with Iran.
Unlike major powers such as Russia or China, Israel cannot afford isolation. Its security has always depended on political, economic and cultural ties with the world. Beyond military strength, these ties rely critically on moral credibility. As David Ben-Gurion emphasized, Israel must strive to be a “light unto the nations” to survive.
The bottom line is that the search for absolute security through force is a prescription for perpetual war, which is expensive, internally dislocating and internationally isolating. In short, it’s a recipe for insecurity.
Israel and the U.S. may ultimately prevail militarily against Iran, though even victory (yet to be defined) could amount to winning a battle while losing a larger, more consequential war. I fear that Israel’s leaders will continue to ignore the Talmudic warning, “If you try to grab too much, you end up with nothing,” and continue relying on more force, the only tool they seem to trust.
Jonatan (Yoni) Shimshoni is a retired Israel Defense Forces brigadier general and a leader in Commanders for Israel’s Security, a movement of nearly 600 former senior officials from the Israeli military, Mossad, Shin Bet, Israel Police and foreign service.
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5802469-israel-overreliance-force-conflict/
