Netanyahu Wisely Arms Gaza Clans to Fight Hamas (My article in WSJ)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed last week that Israel is arming local clans inside Gaza to fight Hamas. Critics immediately called the move dangerous and reckless. Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman even claimed one of the groups receiving weapons has ties to ISIS.

I fought in Iraq and commanded U.S. soldiers on the streets of Baghdad, and I can tell you: This isn’t a desperate gamble. It’s a hard-learned, historically grounded strategy, and one of the most effective tools in asymmetric warfare.

In 2008 I was on the ground in Baghdad when American forces shifted their strategy to arm local gang leaders and tribal groups, some of which had previously attacked U.S. troops with roadside bombs, to turn them against al Qaeda in Iraq. We knew who we were dealing with. My soldiers and I met with men who had blood on their hands. But we also knew that defeating al Qaeda meant splintering its power base, undermining its support, and making local authority figures an alternative source of control.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/netanyahu-wisely-arms-gaza-clans-to-fight-hamas-strategy-war-2f69a742