Israel-Palestine security

While the Israel-Palestine conflict is immensely complex, it is possible to take a somewhat more manageable view by focusing on contemporary security aspects. The situation is one of asymmetrical warfare: Palestinians, regardless of the right or wrong of their grievances, cannot possibly confront the Israel Defense Forces in direct warfare. Therefore, they use measures including mortar and unguided rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and West bank, and terrorist attacks inside Israel.

Israel, on a purely military basis, can respond in a variety of ways to the different types of attack. Short of continuous miliary occupation, which is not certain, the next most drastic measure are major raids into the Palestinian territory. Other measures differ whether the rocket and mortar threat, or the infiltration threat, is under discussion.

Counter-rocket, artillery and mortar

Of the easily concealed and transportable arms available, mortars are short-range weapons and can only be used from a few areas of Palestine, or by infiltrators. The main weapons are unguided rockets, and some understanding of the basic types, techniques, and practices will help.

Most rockets in use are derivatives of the WWII Soviet Katyusha or GRAD. A typical rocket of this type is a finned tube from 2 to 3 meters in length and 120 to 160 millimeters in diameter (excluding fins). It was designed as an area-effect weapon, with dozens, hundreds, or thousands to be fired at once by the Red Army, so individual accuracy was not only not a requirement, but undesirable; the rocket barrage was intended to spread over an area.

Guerillas worldwide, however, have found that it is entirely practical to use individual rockets of this type for what is technically called harassment fire, as distinct from area suppression. In this use, the rocket only needs a single-use support, which may be no more than a wooden ramp and a pair of supporting legs. The rocket can be fired electrically, with the igniter tied to a timer. If the only intention is to fire a single rocket, there need be no crew around it when it is launched; sending counterbattery lethal fire against the point of launch will destroy nothing useful to the launching side.

The first means of defense is passive, at the most basic being using sandbags, concrete, or burial to protect targets. Surprisingly, chain-link fencing can be protective if in the line of flight, as the rocket will detonate against it.

Counter-rocket, artillery and mortar technology, much more expensive than the rockets itself, is available to shoot them down. A subset of this technology is radar and other sensors that will, at least, give warning.