Think Before You Act: On the IDF Withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000

The main questions discussed in the IDF before the 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon were whether the ghting with Hizbollah could be conducted differently, and whether the existing situation was tolerable. The IDF was of the opinion that the situation was tolerable, and that it would be possible to continue in the same manner for a long term. In fact, there was no genuine, thorough discussion of what alternatives the State of Israel had at its disposal.This article presents several facts and conclusions stemming from the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. It also discusses two other events that occurred after the withdrawal: the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and a relatively small yet important event, the departure of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005. All these events are connected to one another.