IDF Lt. Col. (res) Eliav Dickstein spoke at the launch event for Rep. Elise Stefanik's book Poisoned Ivies, hosted by the Israel Justice Organization, recounting his combat experiences in the Israeli military and arguing for a more forceful Israeli security policy.
Dickstein, who said he served in an undercover IDF unit during the Second Intifada and later commanded troops during the 2006 Lebanon War, described several military operations and reflected on the personal toll of combat. He recalled participating in a raid on Yasser Arafat’s Ramallah compound, known as the Mukataa, after the 2002 Passover bombing in Netanya, saying his unit had prepared for a possible operation targeting the Palestinian leader, though the mission was never carried out.
He also recounted a helicopter operation deep inside Lebanon during the 2006 war against Hezbollah, describing the destruction of a helicopter by an anti-tank missile shortly after landing. Dickstein said the incident reinforced his belief that Israel must maintain strong defensive buffer zones and project military strength against regional militant groups.
Throughout the speech, Dickstein criticized past Israeli political decisions, including the Oslo Accords and Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, calling them historic mistakes that weakened Israeli security.
“The only piece of land that we have in all the world that really belongs to us is Israel," Dickstein told the audience, emphasizing the importance of territorial control and national resolve in confronting radical Islamist groups.