Actors of the Israeli Unjust War: Who is Fighting?

It is understood that the parties' refusal to fulfill the "good faith" requirement of the just war doctrine as well as their preference for asymmetric conflict methods dragged the Israel-Hamas War into the plane of unjust war. Continuing from this inference, in order to analyze the reasons that lead the conflicts to asymmetry, the question "who will do what, for what purpose, when, where, how, what?" in the commander's decision statement. It is thought that it would be an appropriate method to answer these questions. From this point on, in the following lines, “Who is fighting whom? The answer to the question is being sought.

One of the parties to the war is the State of Israel. The most important characteristic of the State of Israel is that it is a "security state". The term security state is used for states that pursue policies that base their foreign policy output on "security". The fact that Israel is surrounded by Arab states causes security paranoia, and historically it has entered into four wars since 1948 (Arab/Israeli War in 1948 - Suez Crisis in 1956 - Six-Day War in 1967 - Yom Kippur War in 1973) - an objective reason for this paranoia. constitutes. In addition to these wars, events such as the first intifada between 1987-1993, the second intifada between 2000-2005, the clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006, Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, and Operation Protective Edge in 2014 also changed Israel's understanding of security. It solidifies.

Because of the high cost of living in constant fear and security concerns, Israel is willing to sit down with some of its adversaries from time to time. These reconciliation moves, in which the pressure of the USA was also felt; The Oslo Accords signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization on September 13, 1993, and the Abraham Accords signed with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on September 15, 2020, are examples. However, the existence of Iran, its arch-enemy with the potential to be a playmaker in the Middle East with its proxy fighters, makes it difficult for Israel to return to peaceful policies. Discourses made by both Iranian administrators and Iranian media, such as "Israel is a cancerous cell in the region and therefore should be erased from the map" (1)

It keeps Israel's risk perception high. Therefore, states living under risk perception at this scale do not take into account the international society, international law, international regime and international organizations in their foreign policy decision-making processes. Despite moving away from international norms and values, the State of Israel is recognized by 160 of the 193 UN member states.

In this case, it can be assumed and accepted that Israel's national policy goal is, at the maximum, to dominate the land of supply and presence, which it claims was promised to it, but at the minimum, to survive. What is meant by survival is to preserve its political independence and territorial integrity. The primary tool used to achieve this goal is military force. As a matter of fact, it allocates 4.5 percent of the GNP to military expenditures (tenth place in the world), maintains 24-month compulsory military service for women and 32 months for men, keeps one-third of its population (approximately 9 million) able to do active military service, (2) national defense. Innovative breakthroughs in industrial technologies (3) that can be exported to other states (India, Azerbaijan, Philippines, USA and Vietnam are the top five) can be given as an example of the practices followed to increase military effectiveness. Moreover, although it prefers not to make a statement on this issue by implementing an opaque strategy, it is estimated that it has approximately ninety nuclear weapons.

Israel's close ally, the United States, whose Middle East policies it mediates, also has a large share in developing the military capacity in question. So much so that the USA provided 264 billion dollars in aid to Israel between 1946 and 2023. (4) Israel, which has such a military force as well as an intelligence service such as MOSSAD, which is exempt from the supervision and budget limitation of its constitution, was exposed to the surprise attacks of HAMAS on October 7, 2023, which led to both disappointment and surprise on the Israeli side as its fears came true. With this emotional turmoil, it is considered that the deployment of 300,000 personnel to the Gaza Strip for Operation Iron Swords and the resorting to intense air operations without discrimination of targets in the light of the bitter experiences it had in residential clashes are the result of security paranoia, although it does not constitute a justified reason.

On the other side of the war is HAMAS. HAMAS (the abbreviation of its Arabic name, Islamic Resistance Movement in Turkish) is the extension, in other words its local branch, of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization in Palestine. The first core of the Organization, founded by Ahmed Yasin, was created in 1973 under the name "Islamic Society". On this date, Israel opened offices (Gaza, Hebron, Nablus and Jerusalem), collected aid and normally He authorized Ahmed Yasin with a document to run some schools and kindergartens affiliated with him. According to one view, Israel wanted to balance the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which has a nationalist, left-wing and secular ideology, through this structure. (5) As a matter of fact, after Israel's support for the Organization was revealed, the PLO spokesperson accused HAMAS of being an organization established by the Israeli secret service and serving Israel. (6)

These statements made by the PLO Spokesperson correspond to 8 December 1987. Because on this date, the First Intifada, which means "revolt or uprising", started despite the PLO, and about a week later, the "Islamic Society" turned into an armed organization and took the name HAMAS. Israel's quest to balance Palestinian radical groups through organizations that embrace moderate ideology ended in fiasco when HAMAS preferred armed struggle as a method. History has repeated itself and it has been witnessed once again that bets placed on proxy actors involve risks.

Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades, which preferred to carry out their actions independently of the Organization, as in the case of the IRA in Northern Ireland, completed its establishment as the armed forces of the Organization (7) in 1991. According to mostly pro-Israel sources, HAMAS began to significantly increase its attacks targeting Jewish collaborators, Arabs, Jewish civilians and Israeli security forces from this date onwards. In particular, the "suicide attack" actions implemented after the Hebron Massacre, in which a Jew committed suicide in the Ibrahim Mosque on February 25, 1994 and killed 29 Palestinians, heralded a significant change in the Organization's new road map. (8) With this action, suicide attacks were adopted by other organizations and began to be used widely in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. For example, according to the statistics of the Human Rights Observatory, suicide attacks were carried out against civilian targets 48 times between January 1, 2001 and August 31, 2002. (9)

With its attitude against the Oslo Accords as well as the methods it chose against Israel, HAMAS managed to gain the support of the Palestinian people and won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, which international observers accepted as legitimate. Following the ongoing conflicts with Fatah, the loser of the elections, it has taken over the administration of the Gaza Strip since 2007. However, since this date, it has had to face the blockade imposed by Israel, which also has the support of Egypt.

In addition to the negativities caused by the blockade, HAMAS also suffers from difficulties in being recognized by the international community. Although the full independence of the State of Palestine was accepted by 137 states and the Palestinian Flag was hoisted at the UN General Assembly, this success has not been realized for HAMAS. Because states and organizations that claim to represent Western society, such as the USA, Canada and the EU, consider HAMAS as a terrorist organization. In addition, Arab states such as the Syrian Regime, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which see the Muslim Brotherhood ideology as a threat to their political unity, keep their distance from HAMAS. (10) On the other hand, states such as Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon are on the side that supports HAMAS. It is claimed that Iran, which is among these states, uses HAMAS as a proxy fighter against Israel, despite the sectarian differences.

The basis of the division regarding the legitimacy of HAMAS lies in the idea of "some people's freedom fighters, some people's terrorists". Although we do not accept HAMAS as a terrorist organization, in line with the official view of the Republic of Turkey, the nature of some of its actions have terrorist characteristics and its statements that "as long as Israel kills civilians, they will also target civilians" create a debatable sensitivity. (11) Moreover, HAMAS does not continue its war with Israel independently. Some organizations within Palestine, such as the Palestine Islamic Jihad Organization, which is also considered a terrorist organization by some Western states, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic People's Liberation Front of Palestine (FDKHC), the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Amal Movement. Some groups from outside Palestine have also aligned themselves with HAMAS. Therefore, the existence of many non-state armed actors in the field, as well as the independence of HAMAS's political and military wings, creates a chaotic conflict environment and makes it difficult to predict the future of the war for both Israel and war researchers.

At this point, it is necessary to allocate a paragraph to the decision makers of Israel and HAMAS. The government in Israel is in the hands of a six-party coalition led by the far-right Likud Party, led by Netanyahu. The corruption investigations against Netanyahu, the protests of those who oppose the judicial reform he wants to implement, and ultimately the latest It is under pressure from accusations of security violations along with arrests. These pressures distance Netanyahu from rational decision-making. As a matter of fact, Israeli political commentator Ehud Yaari said about Netanyahu: “He is completely devoted to his political and personal survival. Things are going to get ugly.” He used the expressions. (12)

HAMAS's Political Bureau Head has been Ismail Haniyye since 2017, Gaza Strip Manager Yahya Sinvar, and the commander of the military structure has been Mohammed Deyf since 2002. Although it is thought that Haniyya's duty from Qatar creates a disadvantage, HAMAS offers a unique example as it did not split into different factions like other Palestinian groups during the process. HAMAS leaders and members; It is thought that intense emotions such as martyrdom and belief in the cause, as well as the desire for revenge caused by being exposed to Israeli practices that may be within the scope of state terrorism for years and losing some of their families, relatives and friends, affect their rational decision-making process.

As a result, it is evaluated that the decision makers at the head of the warring actors have moved away from rationality. In addition, the Netanyahu government has a problem of recognition in the domestic public, and HAMAS has a problem of recognition in the international public. Israel is seeking financial aid from the United States, and HAMAS is seeking financial aid from Iran and other Arab States. Although both actors prioritize their survival, they seek the approval of other actors in the process of achieving their political goals due to the need for recognition and financial support. The fact that Israel's military power as a state is much greater than HAMAS, which has not yet completed its economic statehood process, indicates the disproportion between the two sides. Crush the sentence; These determinations lead actors who want to maximize military power, minimize sensitive parties and gain freedom of action to UNJUST WAR, which includes asymmetric methods.

Reference

(1) One of these statements belongs to the Former President of Iran Ahmadinejad. Anthony H. Cordesman, Adam C. Seitz, “Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction: Doctrine, Policy and Command”, CSIS, (12 January 2009), 4. Another statement is made by Hussein Shariatmadari, the owner of the pro-regime Kayhan Newspaper. has been expressed. Shariatmadari said, “We will be more pleased with nothing than erasing the Zionist regime from the map. Phrases such as death to America, death to Israel mean more than words written on paper. "That is a symbolic approach that reflects the desires of the entire Muslim world." made statements.

(2) The Israel Defense Forces currently has 646,000 personnel, of which 173,000 are active and 465,000 are reserves. https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=israel, [Access Date: 16.12.2023].

3. Israel's innovative defense industry products; 'Iron Dome' Air Defense System, 'Trophy' Tank Protection System, 'F16I Sufa - Hebrew for "storm")' Aircraft, 'Merkava IV' Tanks, 'Eitan and Skylark I-LE' Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, 'Tzefa' They are listed on the Israel Defense Forces website as 'Shirion' Minefield Clearance System, 'Eye-Ball' Camera Systems, 'Namer' Armored Vehicles, 'Spike' Rocket Launchers. https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/technology-and-innovation/the-idf-s-top-10-innovations/ [Access Date: 16.12.2023].

4. Al Jazeera, “How big is Israel's military and how much funding does it get from the US?” October 11, 2023.

5. Zaki Chehab, Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies, (New York: I.B. Tauris, 2007), 19-20.

6. Edgar O’Balance, The Palestinian Intifada, (London: Macmillan Press Ltd., 1998), 52.

The number of personnel of the 7th Izzettin Al-Qassam Brigades is estimated to be between 15,000 and 40,000. One of the reasons that increases HAMAS's military capability is its missile capability. It is stated that M-302, one of the missiles whose number is estimated to be in the thousands, can reach a range of 200 km. Other missiles are 10 km range Qassam, 16 km range Quds 101, 55 km range Grad, 75 km range M-75, 100 km range Fajr and J-80, and 120 km range R-160. Jonathan Marcus, “Israel-Palestine: How effective are the weapons in Hamas' arsenal?”, BBC Turkish, 13 May 2021, [Access Date: 17.12.2023].

8. Matthew Levitt, Hamas: Politics, Charity, And Terrorism in The Service of Jihad (New York: Yale University Press, 2006), 11.

9. Human Rights Watch, “Erased in A Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians,” October 15, 2002, https://www.hrw.org/report/2002/10/15/erased-moment/suicide-bombing- attacks-against-israeli-civilians#_ftnref4 [Access Date: 17.12.2023].

10. Nour Mahd Ali Abu Aisha, Esat Fırat, Muhammed Semiz, “How does each country view the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas?”, Anadolu Agency, 29.11.2021, [Access Date: 17.12.2023].

11. Mahmud Hamsici, “Hamas: Its origins, ideology, politics tikas, organizational model”, BBC News Turkish, 14 October 2023, https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/cv23vvm1xz2o, [Access Date: 17.12.2023]. Efforts to identify HAMAS with Kuvayi Milliye are viewed with suspicion. Civilians may be targeted in terrorist acts. However, structures such as Kuvayi Milliye that continue to fight against the invaders choose military targets. Such attributions do not elevate the organization to which they are attributed, but harm the individuals, organizations and structures that form the building blocks of national values. (Author's Note)

12. Oksijen, “Wall Street Journal wrote: Netanyahu is fighting for political survival”, 11.10.2023. https://gazeteoksijen.com/dunya/wall-street-journal-yazdi-netanyahu-siyasi-olarak-ayakta-kalma-savasi-veriyor-193108 [Access Date: 18.12.2023].