2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

ISRAEL AT RISK
Beyond the arms smuggling, the chaos in Egypt has allowed the security situation in the Sinai to
become increasingly unstable. Terrorists have used the territory to plan and carry out attacks on the
Jewish state. In August 2011, terrorists carried out a highly coordinated attack in southern Israel,
which left eight Israelis dead. Israeli security officials said teams of terrorist went through the Gaza
border crossing into the Egyptian Sinai and then infiltrated Israel through the 165-mile Israeli-
Egyptian border. Israel is currently constructing a security barrier along the Israeli-Egyptian border.
As of January 2013, most of the barrier has been completed and has cost more than $400 million.
Following Israel’s Operation Cast Lead—a three-week military operation that Israel launched in
December 2008 after enduring constant attacks from Gaza—Israel and the United States signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on efforts to prevent weapons smuggling to
Hamas. This cooperation has been critical to international efforts to combat weapons proliferation.
Still, the Hamas campaign of terror against Israel has continued. In November 2012, Israel launched
Operation Pillar of Defense, a week-long military campaign that followed yet another barrage of
rocket attacks from Gaza. In that month alone, Hamas hit Israel with more than 800 rockets—a
number that would have been much higher were it not for Iron Dome, a landmark missile defense
system. Developed with the help of U.S. funding, Iron Dome succeeded in shooting down hundreds
of the rockets fired at Israel and saved countless lives.
Hizballah: A Terrorist Group With Global Reach
Beyond the threat from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups, Israel faces a dramatic and
growing danger on its northern border. Iranian proxy and Lebanese organization Hizballah is
recognized as the most technically advanced terrorist group in the world and openly calls for the
destruction of Israel and the United States. In its 2009 party platform, the terrorist group stated,
“We categorically reject any compromise with Israel or recognizing its legitimacy. This position is
definitive, even if everyone recognizes Israel.”
Israel has accused Hizballah, with the support of Iran, of planning and carrying out a string of
attacks during the past year against Israelis overseas, including the bombing of a bus of Israeli
tourists in Bulgaria in July 2012.
With the support of Iran and Syria, Hizballah has amassed some 60,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
This stockpile includes hundreds of advanced guided rockets capable of targeting all of Israel.
This weapons buildup is occurring despite the deployment in southern Lebanon of a U.N.
peacekeeping contingent, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Moreover,
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