01-07-2025
Assassinating Hamas leaders: A quick fix, but not long-term strategy, expert says
The expert said that targeted assassinations of senior terror leaders can bolster recruitment of new members to groups fighting Israel.
Israel's long-standing practice of targeted assassinations of senior Hamas figures highlights limitations of Israeli and Western cultures when dealing with enemies of different cultural backgrounds, Middle East and cultural intelligence expert Roni Shalom told Maariv.
He pointed out that "Israel has a long history of targeted assassinations of senior Hamas terrorists," citing figures such as Ahmed Yassin and, more recently, Yahya Sinwar.
Shalom emphasized that these examples highlight the limitations of both Israeli and Western cultures when dealing with enemies from vastly different cultural backgrounds, adding, "Nurturing the enemy until it reaches unbearable proportions."
Shalom explained that after enemies escalate their actions with horrific terrorist attacks, the Israeli security system often receives credit for eliminating threats perceived as a "ticking bomb."
The cycle then repeats itself with the next target. He questioned whether this approach is effective in the Middle East, a region he referred to as a "harsh neighborhood."
He raised a thought-provoking question about societies whose legitimacy isn't grounded in present achievements but in the expectation of future, often imagined, outcomes: "Is doomsday weaponry the elimination of charismatic figures who have reached key positions in these societies, particularly in terror organizations?"
Shalom suggested that this might be an evasion of deeper questions, such as: "What are we doing here?"He pointed out that in the Middle East, such questions carry theological weight, offering people meaning and purpose in life. "In the Middle East, these questions have theological significance, providing people with meaning and purpose in life," he said.
Shalom further examined cultural differences, particularly the relationship between two societies on a spectrum: on one side is the tradition of following and imitating established customs, and on the other is ideological innovation.
He noted that societies built on imitating past traditions tend to replicate the collective according to fixed patterns. "The Israeli hegemony. Societies built on imitating past traditions tend to replicate the collective according to fixed patterns, so that harming someone, however senior, will allow the continuation of the survival of some sacred idea or another."
Shalom concluded by discussing how different cultures perceive time. In polychronic societies, where the past, present, and future are interconnected and influence one another, there is less focus on immediate events. Instead, there is a belief that suffering in the present can be transcended for a better future.
"Naturally, societies whose perception of time is polychronic, meaning the past, present, and future are intertwined and influence each other, are less affected by immediate events, as there is a perception that allows transcendence over current suffering for the sake of a blessed future," he explained.
He also noted that in these societies, theassassination of senior figures serves a dual purpose: to recruit new members and to solidify the concept of martyrdom, which is then used as a tool for propaganda to boost morale.
"For example, senior assassinations are used to recruit 'fresh meat' into organizations and resonate the martyrdom concept to instill this goal in the minds of young children – and through this, turning loss into a propaganda tool that strengthens morale."
Shalom concluded that while targeted assassinations are an effective short-term tactic, they do not provide a long-term strategy for altering the fundamental dynamics of the struggle.
"Eliminating senior figures is an effective tactic in the short term, but not a strategy for changing the face of the struggle for independence and the renewal of the only non-Arab and non-Islamic nation-state in the Middle East."
He emphasized that while this tactic is useful for managing conflict, it is not a solution, and a broader approach that incorporates cultural intelligence is necessary to address the root causes. "This important tool is useful for managing conflict but not for resolving it, and requires a broader approach that addresses the components of the enemy's culture and uses tools from the world of cultural intelligence."
