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    Former MK Ofer Shelah, Director of the research program “Israel’s National Security Policy” at INSS, is the Alice and Paul Baker Distinguished Research Fellow. Mr. Shelah served in the IDF paratrooper corps and as a reserve company commander, was wounded in combat in Lebanon in 1983. He holds a B.A. in economics and English magna cum laude from Tel Aviv University, and an MFA in English with a concentration in creative writing from New York University.

    In a 25-year career as a journalist, Mr. Shelah was a senior military and political columnist for Israel's leading newspapers and TV channels. He also hosted and led investigative-documentary TV shows, and was the head basketball and American sports color-analyst for various media outlets, most prominently the Israeli Cable Sports Channel.

    In 2013 Mr. Shelah was elected to the Knesset as an MK for the Yesh Atid party. He was the Chairman of the Yesh Atid faction (party whip), and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. In that capacity he chaired the subcommittee on security strategy and force buildup (the equivalent of the Armed Services committees in the US Congress), and served on leading subcommittees, including intelligence and secret services, cyber, and troop readiness. He was also a member of the Joint Committee for the Defense Budget. MK Shelah led the legislative process in the Knesset for the 2014 draft bill, amending the terms of compulsory service in the IDF, including service of the ultra-orthodox (haredi) community. He also chaired the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Crisis and the Knesset State Control Committee, and served on the Finance Committee.

    Mr. Shelah published eight books, four of them on the IDF and Israeli security decision making: The Israeli Army: A Radical Proposal (2003), a book about the disintegration of the people's army model in the IDF; Boomerang (2005, co-written with Raviv Drucker) and Captives of Lebanon (2007, co-written with Yoav Limor), studies of Israel’s recent wars; and Dare to Win (2015), published when Shelah was already an MK, which presented a platform for radical and necessary changes in Israel's defense strategy and the IDF to make then suitable for Israel's present challenges. For Boomerang and Dare to Win he received the INSS Tshetshik Prize in Security Studies.

    Mr. Shelah is widowed, with two children. He has completed 20 full-length marathons. In 2010 ran the Comrades Marathon, a 56-mile event in South Africa.

    Ofer Shelah
    Ofer Shelah
    Director of the research program “Israel’s National Security Policy”
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    Publications

    All Publications
    INSS Insight
    The Reality That Will Enable the Return of Northern Residents
    Findings and conclusions from a comprehensive field study confirming assumptions about the gap between the military and government echelons and the evacuated northern residents with regards to the situation in the northern arena
    4 March, 2025
    INSS Insight
    The Nagel Commission Report: The Test of Validity and the Chances of Implementation
    A deep comparative analysis of the report submitted to the prime minister, aimed at examining the defense budget and force buildup
    5 February, 2025
    Policy Papers
    The IDF Ground Operation in Lebanon — Goals, Alternatives and Consequences
    Recently, the IDF began a ground operation in southern Lebanon, following the addition of “safely returning northern residents to their homes” to Israel’s war objectives. In this document we analyze potential achievements of a land manoeuvre in Lebanon and alternatives implementation. Consequently, we present a preferred course of action: clearing areas controlling the border line to create a security space for Israeli settlements south of it, preventing direct fire of any kind and thwarting the possibility of a Radwan force raid on them. This is for a limited time, without creating a permanent “security zone” and as a way to restore security while generating pressure for a settlement.
    14 October, 2024
    Special Publication
    Implications of Continuing the War on Israel’s Economy—Three Scenarios
    The continuation of the current situation, escalation on the northern front, or an agreement that includes a deal for releasing the hostages: How will each of these scenarios affect Israel’s economy?
    19 August, 2024
    Special Publication
    The “Quagmire” Then and Now: Lessons for Combat in the Gaza Strip and for Decision Making from the IDF’s Presence in Lebanon Until its Withdrawal to the Awali in October 1983
    The similarities between the decision-making processes and the public atmosphere now during the Swords of Iron War and 40 years ago during the stay in Lebanon are many and contain important conclusions and warning lights for decision makers
    23 June, 2024
    Strategic Assessment
    Army Aviation: Optimal Integration of Aerial Assets in Ground Combat
    The past decade has seen increased discussion about the future and value of ground maneuver in the IDF. Indeed, since the Second Lebanon War, Israel has hesitated to use its ground troops in operations and has harbored doubts—including within the IDF itself—over the achievements of maneuver warfare vis-à-vis enemies that circle Israel and the willingness of the political leadership to employ it. As part of the concurrent five-year plan for the IDF, then-Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi guided an approach centered on intelligence fusion that would be relayed from all the IDF sources to the maneuvering units; and an autonomous system, based on an artificial intelligence, that would direct fire at identified targets and chart a path for the maneuvering units on the battlefield. Most of the firepower would be from the air. The current structure of the IDF, in which responsibility for the buildup and operation of aerial forces rests almost exclusively with the Air Force, would not change. This study examines the viability of this approach and its impact on Ground Forces operations. It then presents an alternative option: an army aviation made up primarily of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or RPVs), which would be built within the Ground Forces and operate directly under the command of the ground units. The ground units would operate within a “mission bubble,” in which it has maximal independence in intelligence gathering, launch of offensives, and defense of the force from advanced aerial threats posed by enemy drones. The Air Force will focus on its relative advantages: strikes in the operational level, operations deep within enemy territory and distant enemies, air and missile defense, and achievement of air superiority. The study examines the advantages and challenges that this approach presents for the Ground and Air Forces, the expected difficulties in implementation, and the changes that would be needed in the Air Force, Ground Forces, and the General Staff.  

    Media

    All media
    Israel plans to seize parts of Gaza and stay indefinitely: Citing Ofer Shelah in the Washington Post
    Ofer Shelah
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    7 May, 2025
    Tensions over Palestinians at heart of Trump’s Middle East gambit: citing Ofer Shelah
    Ofer Shelah
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    20 February, 2025
    Tensions over Palestinians at heart of Trump’s Middle East gambit: Citing Ofer Shelah
    Ofer Shelah
    16 February, 2025