Ep 56: June 7, 2026 The Long Road to Oct 7 Part 6

In this episode of Conflict Uncovered, Elliot Chodoff and Zev Uslan continue their series on the long road to October 7 by looking at the period from Israel’s Lebanon withdrawal through the Second Intifada and into the security-barrier era.

The conversation focuses on how Israeli leaders, the public, and the defense establishment interpreted withdrawal, deterrence, terrorism, and defensive infrastructure. It also examines how those interpretations shaped later assumptions about Gaza.

Main Themes

Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 and its long-term consequences

How Hezbollah interpreted Israeli withdrawal

The failure of the “security zone” concept in southern Lebanon

The outbreak of the Second Intifada after failed diplomacy

The rise of suicide bombings and mass-casualty terrorism

How 9/11 changed global perceptions of terrorism

The copycat effect in terrorist strategy

The strengths and limits of Israel’s security barrier

Why fences can reduce attacks without solving the underlying threat