Dr. Ophir Falk is foreign policy adviser for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He holds a B.A. in International Relations (Hebrew University in Jerusalem), a law degree (Manchester University), an MBA (Manchester University) and a Ph.D. in International Relations (Haifa University). He is a visiting researcher at the Center for Security Studies, and a research fellow at the International Institute of Counter Terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya. He has authored numerous editorials and peer-reviewed articles, is co-author of Suicide Terror: Understanding and Confronting the Threat (2009), and is author of Does Fair Play Pay Off? Targeted Killing, Law and Counter-Terrorism Effectiveness (2019).
We have seen huge demonstrations all over Europe in support of Palestine, and major media outlets have taken Hamas’ version of events at face value. Did Israel expect something like this after the massacre on 7 October?
I think it is the result of misinformation and lack of knowledge. I don’t think the hundreds of thousands of people who have demonstrated are in favour of the murder of of over 1,000 men, women, and children, nor of the rapes, beheadings, and murders committed by Hamas on October 7.
I think they are very misinformed, which is why our job to get the truth out. It’s understandable that many people don’t know the reality of the Arab-Israeli conflict, but they see the images on television and they are concerned about civilian casualties. We worry about them too. The difference is that while Hamas seeks to cause as many civilian casualties as possible, we do the opposite. The core of Israel’s counterterrorism strategy is to minimise civilian casualties because it is the right thing to do and it is the most effective thing to do. By contrast, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organisations seek to maximise the number of civilian casualties, both Israeli and Palestinian. That is Hamas’s strategy not only because they are a genocidal organisation, but also because they view it as a very effective propaganda tool that will coerce Israel into a ceasefire. This is compounded by double standards. I do not recall mass demonstrations in London, Paris, Madrid, or Barcelona when 600,000 civilians were killed in Syria, or when 5 million Syrians became refugees and moved to Turkey, with 2 million moving to Lebanon and 1.3 million to Jordan.
Israel will prevail. We have no other choice. If we do not prevail, if we do not destroy Hamas, these Hamas savages will storm the streets of London, Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid. They will commit the same barbarities that they committed in Israel on October 7. As prime minister Netanyahu said at the beginning of the war, “We are in a battle for civilisation.” That is not a slogan, it is the reality in which we are immersed.
Many political leaders in the EU put the terrorist massacre and the Israeli army’s response on the same level. The worst case has been that of the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been congratulated by Hamas, leading to an unprecedented diplomatic crisis. How do you think this crisis will evolve?
Prime Minister Sánchez’s statements were disappointing and surprising because what he said in Israel was significantly different from what he said at the Rafah crossing. I think the diplomatic crisis will not improve in these circumstances, but we have received many messages of support and encouragement from other leaders and from many Spaniards. We appreciate that support.
Last Monday, Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s third-largest political force, showed his support for Israel on the ground. A group of MEPs from the ECR were there as well. How important are such gestures?
They are important and we appreciate the show of support. We have to understand that this affects us all. It is a battle for civilisation and therefore it is also a battle for Spain. This support is a sign of moral clarity, especially when we see the loss of a moral compass at some American universities. This strength is necessary in the face of a weakness that, unfortunately, is not limited to those universities, but is also seen in many leaders and people who are misinformed or who have failed the test of moral clarity.
Why precisely now? What were Hamas’ reasons for carrying out this attack at this time?
There were three reasons why Hamas carried out the 7 October massacre. The first is to kill Jews. Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organisation and murdering Jews is detailed in their charter. The second is to kidnap Jews for leverage. The third is to derail the prospects for peace with additional Gulf countries and the expanding circle of peace.
Once we destroy Hamas, we will resume those peace efforts. Strength is important and countries want to make peace and alliances with those who are strong. That is true in the Middle East; it is true everywhere. Nobody makes alliances with the weak. Israel will destroy Hamas and demilitarise Gaza so that they cannot attack us again from there. And, perhaps most importantly, Palestinian society must de-radicalise, so that Palestinian school children will not be taught to cherish death but rather to love life, and so that Imams will preach for peace in mosques rather than for the murder of Jews. When that commences, Gaza can be reconstructed.
A terrorist group needs safe havens in which to prepare and funding to sustain its activities. If Israel drives Hamas out of Gaza, can it also end its funding?
Yes, I am sure it is possible. Just as nobody had diplomatic relations with ISIS, no legitimate country should have diplomatic relations or harbour Hamas “diplomats” or their bank accounts. It’s outrageous.
Terrorist organisations come to an end. ISIS ended, Aum Shinrikyo ended in Japan, “17 November” ended in Greece, and Sendero Luminoso ended in Peru. The same will happen to Hamas. It was established in 1987 and will disappear in 2024. We Jews have been here for over 4,000 years and we intend on being here forever.
There are still many hostages in the hands of terrorists and also the urgency of preventing Palestinian civilian casualties. Is this the most difficult operation the IDF has ever had to face?
The Israel Defence Forces have done a lot of things over the years. The prime minister’s brother led a mission [Operation Entebbe] thousands of kilometres away from Israel to free 103 hostages in July 1976. The IDF has carried out unprecedented military operations over the past 62 days.
At the beginning of the war we were warned: “Don’t go into Gaza, it’s a death trap.” We went into Gaza. Then we were warned: “Don’t go near the terror tunnels, it’s a death trap.” We went into the terror tunnels. And then we were warned: “Don’t go to the hospitals, even if there are command centres in them.” We went into the hospitals and we exposed the lies, the command centres of the terrorists, the arsenals, and the tunnels they use to move from one place to another.
Right now, the IDF is destroying Hamas and hundreds of terrorists are being killed every day. Israel will do whatever it takes to destroy Hamas and free the hostages. That is the mission that Netanyahu’s War Cabinet gave to the IDF, and I am sure the IDF will accomplish the mission. 110 hostages have already been released, which is something nobody believed possible two months ago. IDF pressure made that possible.
Is it possible to win the propaganda war as well?
It is a great challenge to confront misinformation, double standards, and antisemitism. But on our side is the truth and the IDF, so I am confident we can do it. Winning this information war is important. If we are able to destroy Hamas—and we will destroy Hamas—I think that winning the information war will be easier, because history is written by the victors, the winners. When we met Elon Musk a couple of months ago, he joked that, in the past, history was written by the winners after eliminating the losers; but now the losers are not eliminated—instead, they become editors for Wikipedia. It is more difficult now, but we will win the war and the peace.
And the Palestinian Authority?
More than two months have passed since the October 7 massacre and the Palestinian Authority leadership has yet to denounce the murder of over 1,000 Israelis: men, women and children—children beheaded and babies burned alive. Some of that leadership deny the atrocities happened and there are some, like possible successor Jibril Rajoub, who take pride in the massacre and think that it should happen in Judea and Samaria too. Those people will not get Gaza on a golden platter like they did in 2005, only to be thrown off the roofs, literally, by Hamas. After Hamas is destroyed, Gaza is demilitarised and the radicals are deradicalised, then peace will be possible.
