Amos Yadlin
Amos YadlinFlash 90

Amos Yadlin, formerly the head of Military Intelligence who now heads the Institute for National Security Studies, said on Friday that Israel had not achieved the goals it set for itself in Operation Protective Edge and that Hamas is not weaker as a result of the operation.

"Israel failed to achieve the goals it set for itself," Yadlin told Channel 10 News, adding, "There is an opportunity here because Israel is stronger and its citizens are strong and determined. The citizens are willing to give the IDF the three weeks to do what it didn’t do.”

“We didn’t hurt Hamas enough so that it would have someone else to make the decisions instead of Mohammed Deif,” he said, referring to the head of Hamas’s “military wing”, who is in hiding and recently threatened Israel.

"What matters most in the end is that the Hamas military will not be the strongest power in Gaza," said Yadlin. "Demilitarization of Gaza is a very troublesome and far-ranging goal.”

"Three weeks ago I said that leaving Hamas as the ruler of Gaza would be a mistake,” he continued. “After Hamas is weakened the residents will gladly accept [Palestinian Authority chairman] Abbas.” 

Yadlin concluded by saying he thinks Israel is reading the map wrong.

“There is a feeling that Hamas is on the ropes and does not want this conflict but that is not the case," he said.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)