“Myth of Gideon” Operation: Israel’s Expansionist Strategy and the Gaza Offensive
After the Israeli aggression on Gaza failed to subjugate Hamas or secure the release of hostages, the occupier launched a new military operation—dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots.” Far from a mere tactical maneuver, this operation marks a qualitative shift in Israel’s strategy, combining ground assaults, forcible population displacement, and the deployment of religious–historical narratives to cloak its expansionist ambitions in symbolic legitimacy.
The Significance of the Name: “Gideon’s Chariots”
The Hebrew title Merkavot Gideon evokes the biblical figure Gideon, famed in Jewish lore for defeating the Midianite army with only a handful of chariots. By reviving this designation—first used in 1948 to justify the expulsion of Baysan’s residents—Israel seeks to link its current offensive to a supposed “divine victory,” casting the Gaza campaign as a continuation of an ancient, sacred mandate rather than a modern-day atrocity.
Why Now?
Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” was timed to exploit waning official Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian resistance and to take advantage of divisions introduced by normalization deals with certain regimes. Israeli leaders view the current geopolitical moment as an opening to execute a large-scale displacement plan under the guise of a “security operation” deemed essential for restoring order. Yet this strategy risks exposure, as threats from Yemen and its allies increasingly imperil Israel’s home front.
Beyond “Gideon’s Chariots”
This campaign transcends conventional security logic. It represents an Israeli effort to exploit regional turmoil and international complicity to entrench a settler-colonial framework. As another chapter in the long-running Nakba project, it aims to uproot Palestinians from Gaza and solidify control “from the Nile to the Euphrates.” By invoking biblical myths, Israel attempts to bestow a veneer of moral and historical justification on its actions, sidestepping legal and humanitarian norms.
A Long-Term Project
Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” is not a one-off offensive but a phase in a decades-long plan to expand settler influence through greater violence and international collusion. Its name and timing reveal a conscious drive to revive “biblical dreams” and impose new realities while the world is distracted. As such, it must be understood not as an isolated military event but as a gateway to an expansionist agenda whose repercussions will shape generations to come.
