From Blitzkrieg To Attrition: Israel's Attrition Strategy and Staying Power

This article challenges the myth that Israel cannot afford to become involved in a draining war of attrition, arguing instead that Israeli society has repeatedly demonstrated a relatively high staying power. The article opens with a theoretical discussion that focuses on the difference between attrition and blitzkrieg and on the dilemmas Western democracies (WDs) face when coping with attrition. Following sections present Israeli aversion to attrition and the circumstances under which Israel eventually adopted an explicit attrition strategy, and analyse Israeli society's success in demonstrating a high cost tolerance during eight cases of attrition from the 1950s to the present.