understanding the Enemy: A Psychological Approach

Dr. Ofer Grosbard, author of The End of the State of Israel?!, advocates for leveraging psychological warfare to counter Hamas and secure the release of hostages.He emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological and cultural nuances of Palestinian society.

Grosbard argues that customary military approaches are not always the most effective. You don’t need to mobilize divisions, and you don’t need to lose human lives – you need to understand the enemy, he stated.

The Neglect of Psychological Warfare

Grosbard criticizes the current security apparatus for its lack of focus on psychological warfare. He contends that a fundamental requirement for effective psychological operations is a deep understanding of the adversary’s mindset.

To this end, psychological warfare must be used. However,in our security system,psychological warfare does not exist because a necessary condition for its existence is understanding the enemy’s ways of thinking.

Dr. Ofer Grosbard

He contrasts the approaches of terrorist organizations and Israeli security forces, noting that The terrorist organizations have actually used psychological warfare against us throughout the years, which reached its peak in the issue of the hostages. They have what is called an ‘external focus of control,’ and therefore, they focus on us, learn, and get to know us. Whereas we, who have an ‘internal focus of control,’ focus on ourselves and do not know them.

The Psychology of Gaza and the West Bank

Grosbard characterizes the population of Gaza and the West bank as highly traditional, influenced by rumors, conspiracies, and, most significantly, fear. This surroundings fosters group pressure and discourages self-reliant thought.

He elaborates on the concept of an external focus of control, explaining that in these societies,individual actions are frequently enough dictated by external pressures rather than internalized values. Such as, a member of Western culture will automatically stop at a red light. If he does not do so, he may feel guilty.In contrast, in these (palestinian) societies with an external focus of control, the individual may not stop at a red light if there is no policeman by his side. Order, therefore, is caused by fear – and not by internalizing values ​​as in the West. Similarly, the individual will not steal in these societies because he may be caught – and not because it is ingrained in him that this is not the way to do things.

Proposed Solutions: Preventing Incitement and Creating Group Pressure

Based on his psychological assessment,Grosbard proposes two primary strategies: curbing incitement and fostering group pressure against terrorism.

• Preventing Incitement: Grosbard argues that incitement is a primary driver of terrorism. He suggests leveraging AI to detect and suppress inciting content in schools, textbooks, mosques, and social media. incitement is the driving force behind terrorism. If we dry up incitement – ​​there will be no terrorism. today, using AI, it is indeed not difficult to detect incitement content in various places and forms. To deny individuals and leaders the ability to incite consequently of punishment and fear – is tantamount to denying their power.
• Creating Group Pressure: He advocates for creating an environment where individuals are afraid to engage in terrorism due to the likelihood of being reported. Creating a psychological situation in Gaza and the West Bank in which people will be afraid to engage in terrorism as someone will immediately report them and turn them in – this is the desired situation.The nature of their society, which is ruled by fear, must be understood, and these insights must be used. The goal is to create a situation in which Hamas members will fear the population that wants to be free from them – and not the other way around.

Implementing the Strategy: Rewards and Punishments

Grosbard outlines a system of rewards and punishments to incentivize cooperation and deter terrorism.

• Establishing a reward system for reporting Hamas members or hostile activities, with discreet reporting via mobile phones.
• Severe punishment for those found guilty of terrorism,as well as those who knew and did not report.
• Offering benefits such as medical treatment and work in Israel for those who cooperate, and withholding these benefits from those who do not.
• Applying benefits and punishments to family members,recognizing the importance of collective societies.
• Humiliating captured Hamas members by publishing their pictures and punishing their families. Humiliation is also a winning weapon in these societies, where the loss of honor is equated with death.

Shifting the Balance of Fear

Grosbard envisions a future where the Palestinian population is no longer afraid of Hamas, but rather Hamas members fear being turned in by the population. The Palestinian population must move from a situation where they are afraid of Hamas to a situation where every Hamas member is afraid that they will be handed over. This can be done – and for this,you don’t need divisions of soldiers,just appropriate psychological warfare – which does not exist at all in the security system today.

Psychological Warfare and Hostage Release

Grosbard emphasizes that psychological warfare is crucial for securing the release of hostages. He argues that military pressure alone is insufficient, as Hamas members may be willing to die with the hostages to maintain their honor.Israel has declared that a hamas member who releases a hostage will receive huge benefits. However, without creating group pressure and denunciation that forces the Hamas member to behave in this manner, there is no chance of this. We apply military pressure, but he is willing to fight us and die with the hostages to maintain his honor in the eyes of his group members. Thus, harming their honor and humiliating them at the hands of their group members is the onyl way to change their behavior, not military pressure.

He concludes, Indeed, the release of the hostages must also go through psychological warfare and understanding the ways of thinking of our enemy.