Dr. Liraz Margalit
Jerusalem Post, July 21, 2024
“The psychological war and the design of the victory narrative are an integral part of the war.”
If the attempted assassination of Mohammed Deif, the head of the military wing of Hamas, is confirmed, it will be Israel’s greatest psychological achievement amid the current war. It is true that from a military perspective Operation Arnon and the rescue of Ori Megidish were very complex and significant operations, but the elimination of Deif is a different sort of victory for Israel.
The psychological achievements in the war are not measured in the same way as war on the ground. The psychological war has its own set of rules since it operates in the realm of perception. Psychologically speaking, hitting a political figure has a much higher weight than hitting a Hamas battalion or eliminating weapons depots.
Our brains are built for dogmatic, black-and-white thinking. Therefore, the elimination of Deif, one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, was seen as an ‘eye for an eye’ more than any other military achievement achieved to date. Even externally, this is Israel’s most significant achievement. People tend to appreciate and admire characters who appear to be invulnerable. It is part of the human need for idealization.
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