Former chief of Israel's military intelligence on Sunday praised the government's tempered conduct vis-à-vis Gaza and the unrest on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Former head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Yadlin told Ynet he would give Israel "a high grade" on its conduct amid the security tensions in recent weeks.
"There are a lot of arenas that collided over three holidays - Ramadan, Passover, and Easter," Yadlin said.
"Gaza, Jerusalem, West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and domestic [Israeli Arabs] arenas - all must be handled in a level-headed, logical way, considering the objectives," the former intelligence official said.
"If Hamas does drag us into another round in Gaza we'll know how to deal with it, and Hamas will be hit hard. At the moment, however, it's not our preference... Israel's goal is not to face another round of fighting in Gaza."
Both Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and Defense Minister Benny Gantz in the past vouched that every strike from Gaza will evoke retaliation from Israel. But, on Saturday, the government decided to respond to latest rocket attack by not allowing Gazan merchants to enter Israel for work.
According to Yadlin, the government's lack of military response to the latest rocket fire from Gaza serves to delay another round of fighting.
"Two significant weapons' production sites that Hamas has tried to rehabilitate after the Operation Guardian of the Walls… were hit hard. It could be that there isn't another site like that to target, and it could be that Hamas needs to be explained that it can't play the game of being granted economic benefits, receive funds from Qatar, be granted entry permits for workers and continue inciting in the Temple Mount and fire at Israel."
Yadlin also distanced himself from the practice of targeted killings of terrorist leaders, claiming "it will bring along more suffering".
"Let's wait when the Temple Mount [riots] and Ramadan are behind us … let's give credit to those who manage this, to act not according to the headlines, but according to intelligence and well-measured strategy," he said.
Yadlin added: "The whole idea is to get by Ramadan without escalation in Jerusalem. We want to continue the process, advance the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia. We must look at the whole picture and not get caught up in the moment."
He said the government was successful in dealing with the escalation because "no blood was spilled in Jerusalem and no fuel was spilled on the fire of incitement," but remained cautious about the future.
"The event isn't over. I hope that it'll end without casualties on both sides, we'll put Ramadan behind us and know how to take care of Yahya Sinwar - who is number four on the list of our priorities," Yadlin said, referring to the the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip.
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Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, center, attends a demonstration against Israeli plans for the annexation of parts of the West Bank, in Gaza City, July 1, 2020
(Photo: AP)
He said there are other imminent threats that require Israel's attention. "There is a nuclear deal with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and we need to waste the Iron Dome's interceptors on things that fly over us from Gaza only when we feel it's time, not a minute before. We need them for somewhere else.
"We're a strong country, we'll choose for ourselves the right timing and then we'll carry out the operation in a way more successful way, with an element of surprise."