Two decades later, Operation Defensive Shield has yet to conclude, at least in a figurative sense, according to Israel Defense Forces Chief Aviv Kohavi.
“Operations that stop terror daily are the continuation of the operation,” Kohavi said at an event in late March marking the anniversary of the offensive. “and dozens of arrests that occur every week in the Judea and Samaria Division’s sector are testimony to the commitment and effort by the IDF and Shin Bet to Israel’s security.”
Kohavi was speaking as Israel underwent a renewed wave of attacks that would eventually take the lives of 11 innocents in the span of a few days in late March, and 2 more in April. Yet he also claimed that during the operation, seen by the Israeli public as the turning point in defeating the Second Intifada, “the IDF proved it could defeat terrorism in a complex, urban environment.”
And therein lies the frustrating paradox Israel finds itself in. The IDF carried out a dangerous operation whose accomplishments surprised even its own commanders. It “defeated terrorism.” READ MORE
