In a report released Feb. 28 on Operation Protective Edge, the state comptroller of Israel noted: "In a Cabinet discussion about the Palestinian arena that took place on April 3, 2013, … there was extensive coverage of the Judea and Samaria region and of Gaza. The prime minister noted that Gaza has become a real threat to the country. During that same discussion, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories [COGAT] head Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot said, 'I want to point to a huge risk that will be coming from Gaza over the next two or three years. It involves infrastructure. … Gaza will face a water crisis with no solution in sight, which must be dealt with right now. … We will encounter a huge crisis there, which could result in an overall strategic change in our approach.'"
As a result of these remarks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Cabinet to meet for a discussion about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and its implications on the security situation and on Israel in general. That meeting was never held.
The state comptroller's report points to many other warnings coming from Dangot and the office of the COGAT and Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who replaced Dangot in January 2014. Both of them said that the situation in the Gaza Strip was like a bubbling pressure cooker about to explode. The bottom line is clear: If nothing is done, it will end in an explosion. Nevertheless, Israel continued to do nothing. There were no discussions. There were no alternatives. No one thought about the situation from a strategic perspective.
The comptroller quoted comments by former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo, delivered during a discussion that took place during Operation Protective Edge. He said on July 8, 2014, "The world has changed. The rules of the game have been reopened, and the agreements reached after Operation Pillar of Defense are inappropriate given the current circumstances." When asked by Education Minister Naftali Bennett what needed to be done, he responded, "I'm defining the problem for you. You define the objective. You are the political leadership, not me. You should be defining the objective."
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