The impact of Israel's reprisals on behavior of the bordering Arab nations directed at Israel

Abstract

Since the termination of the British Mandate in 1948 the use of force has been a persistent element in the relations between Israel and each of the bordering Arab nations-Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Sporadically the basic chronic level of hostilities has been punctuated by sharp, sometimes severe applications of military force by Israel on the territory of its neighbors. These actions, known as reprisals, have been directed at military and civilian targets in the bordering states, ostensibly in response to acts or omissions on the part of the target governments which Israel perceived to be provocative. More than one hundred such events have occurred since 1948. They range from minor operations by a dozen or fewer men to brigade-size assaults, and include artillery salvos, air strikes, and heliborne commando raids, as well as conventional ground attacks. A complete listing of the reprisals is presented in the appendix.