Israel-Gaza crisis holds brutal lessons in how not to fight terrorism & insurgencies

News Snapshot:

Little doubt exists Israel’s intelligence and defence forces were blind to the looming threat. Earlier this summer, Emmanuel Fabien reported , the Israeli military had deployed some 25 internal security battalions to the West Bank, instead of the usual 13, to police violence between far-Right settler groups and Palestinians. Fifty years since then, Hamas assault units have struck across the Israel-Gaza border under cover of fire from thousands of low-technology rockets, drawing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) into murderous skirmishes at up to a dozen small towns and villages. Hamas assault teams have succeeded in killing 250 troops and civilians...