The combined surprise attack by Hamas not only caught the State of Israel by surprise, but also caught Israel in difficult circumstances of an unprecedented destructive and ongoing internal and socio-political crisis.
Many have said that the key to our success in emerging from the embarrassing opening situation of the war and proceeding to victory lies in ensuring the resilience of Israeli society. I believe this is true.
What is this resilience? It is about the ability of a society to deal with a severe disturbance, to manage it in an intelligent way with minimal disruption to the routine, recover from it quickly, and rebound toward growth. In Israel’s case, there has been a sequence of disturbances, from the COVID-19 pandemic, through the political crisis that dragged us through five election campaigns in some three years and the socio-political crisis that began in January 2023, to the current difficult war that was thrust upon our civilian and military fronts. The accepted conditions for the realization of resilience are social solidarity, the public's trust in itself and state institutions (including the IDF), proper conduct (governance) of the government bodies, and a shared hope for a better future. This time it seems that these essential elements have been damaged and are sorely lacking.
Resilience is not an innate and guaranteed phenomenon. Its development and preservation must be cultivated all the time, and economic, social, and physical efforts must be invested in it – especially in periods of questionable resilience, as in recent years. Undermined resilience is the opening state of this war, and it was shaken further at the outset by the military failures.
Therefore, this is now the first and foremost national task: to restore Israel's national resilience. This is the condition for success. The challenging task is now placed mainly at the doorstep of the Prime Minister. A unity government that will focus on the war effort may serve as an important platform for this matter. The media and the general public also play a vital role in strengthening resilience.
The combined surprise attack by Hamas not only caught the State of Israel by surprise, but also caught Israel in difficult circumstances of an unprecedented destructive and ongoing internal and socio-political crisis.
Many have said that the key to our success in emerging from the embarrassing opening situation of the war and proceeding to victory lies in ensuring the resilience of Israeli society. I believe this is true.
What is this resilience? It is about the ability of a society to deal with a severe disturbance, to manage it in an intelligent way with minimal disruption to the routine, recover from it quickly, and rebound toward growth. In Israel’s case, there has been a sequence of disturbances, from the COVID-19 pandemic, through the political crisis that dragged us through five election campaigns in some three years and the socio-political crisis that began in January 2023, to the current difficult war that was thrust upon our civilian and military fronts. The accepted conditions for the realization of resilience are social solidarity, the public's trust in itself and state institutions (including the IDF), proper conduct (governance) of the government bodies, and a shared hope for a better future. This time it seems that these essential elements have been damaged and are sorely lacking.
Resilience is not an innate and guaranteed phenomenon. Its development and preservation must be cultivated all the time, and economic, social, and physical efforts must be invested in it – especially in periods of questionable resilience, as in recent years. Undermined resilience is the opening state of this war, and it was shaken further at the outset by the military failures.
Therefore, this is now the first and foremost national task: to restore Israel's national resilience. This is the condition for success. The challenging task is now placed mainly at the doorstep of the Prime Minister. A unity government that will focus on the war effort may serve as an important platform for this matter. The media and the general public also play a vital role in strengthening resilience.