Snip:
A poll published by Israel’s Public Broadcaster (KAN) on 28 April found that a majority of Israelis believe the state has failed to secure victory in any war since October 2023.
According to the survey, 57 percent of respondents said no victory had been achieved, while 28 percent believed success had been reached in at least one arena, and a further 15 percent said they were unsure.
The findings come after more than two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza – which Israel threatens to reignite – during which Tel Aviv waged multiple offensive military campaigns against Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, alongside attacks in Yemen and Syria and a campaign of destruction and displacement in the occupied West Bank.
Confidence levels across all the fronts remain low, with only 17 percent viewing operations in Syria as successful and 16 percent saying the same for Gaza and Iran.
I think it’s a consequence of their self-mythologization and national identity. A huge part of Israeli identity and education will have"victories like the 6 day war or the Yom Kippur war at its base: they justify the siege mentality and the outsized presence of the military in civilian life and culture. I believe the average Israeli drinks the kool-aid that their military is so overpowered it will win any conflict decisively in a short time, and their military doctrine shows that, too.
So when a conflict isn’t clearly decided quickly and in Israel’s favor with minimal consequences to the civilian population, it’s a failure to them because that’s not how the IDF is supposed to work.