“We are activating all of our capabilities to bring this to an end and I believe we will succeed,” Ya’alon said.
Nevertheless, the process is not one that can be carried out from one night to the next.
“We have been on the attack since Operation Defensive Shield (in 2002),” he said, “from the moment we entered Area A – [and] we have not stopped entering Area A.”
However, he said, “There is no need for [full military] division. Undercover forces move in, make the arrest, and leave. There are dozens of such operations in a day…. In these types of conflicts, there is a need for endurance and determination as well as creativity and we are doing this.
“This won’t end immediately and all of the various ideas or natural expectations for some sort of military maneuver that will deal with the situation and finish it [immediately are erroneous}.
“We have been in conflict for 120 years already, and all through our 67 years of independence,” he added. “We will have to continue to struggle. We have had much more difficult challenges in the past, and we will know how to beat this too.”