Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs and Security, offers a sharp assessment of Israel’s current strategic posture: developments in Gaza are not an end in themselves, but part of a far broader campaign whose true objective is Iran.
According to Diker, the involvement of Qatar and Turkey in political frameworks or committees related to Gaza is not comparable to — and does not amount to — any form of military presence on the ground, a red line Israel will not cross.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he explains, clearly distinguishes between symbolic or diplomatic representation and “boots on the ground,” while managing tensions with US President Donald Trump in a deliberate and calculated manner.
Diker stresses that the price Israel is paying in the Gaza arena stems from its true strategic goal: shaping the conditions for a broader confrontation with Tehran. “There is no force other than the IDF capable of disarming Hamas,” he says, warning that any move toward a second phase of an American-led initiative without the complete dismantling of Hamas would be perceived as a victory for the terrorist organization.
