![An Israeli soldier atop a tank looks at air force fighter jets circling overhead an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) staging area in the northern Gaza border November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS TRANSPORT TPX IMAGES O](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/RTR3AOFW.jpg/RTR3AOFW.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=l2wEaqtw)
Reuven Pedatzur is a senior military affairs analyst with Haaretz and a senior lecturer of political science at Tel Aviv University. He is one of Israel’s leading commentators on missile defense, nuclear and other non-conventional weapons, the IDF’s strategic doctrine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
![An Israeli soldier atop a tank looks at air force fighter jets circling overhead an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) staging area in the northern Gaza border November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS TRANSPORT TPX IMAGES O](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/02/RTR3AOFW.jpg/RTR3AOFW.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=l2wEaqtw)
![A Palestinian stone-throwing protester uses a sling to throw back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli security officers (rear) during clashes after a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah, January 4, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/01/RTR3C3OK.jpg/RTR3C3OK.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=1bdKEM9f)
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Reuven Pedatzur