Not surprisingly, Israel’s new Nation State Law has sparked strong criticism within Israel’s Arab community. Yet while protest was voiced by all major Arab political elements, the Arab public as a whole has not mobilized to engage in any significant broad-based protest on the issue. This did not even occur with the mass demonstration in Tel Aviv, planned by the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee. Instead, the Monitoring Committee’s attempt to advance a counter-approach revealed the cracks within the Arab leadership, highlighting in...
Following the mild earthquakes in the Sea of Galilee area in July 2018, there was increased public awareness – albeit perhaps temporary – regarding the possibility of a powerful earthquake in Israel. The cost of a major earthquake, which could occur in the near future, has been estimated in the assessment adopted by the government in 2012, based on a study by a professional committee headed by Dr. Benny Begin, to reach some 7,000 fatalities, 8,600 people injured, 9,500 people trapped in collapsed buildings, 28,000 severely damaged...
The discussion surrounding the Nation State Law has sparked a heated debate in Israeli society. One side claims that the law is a proper and necessary legislative anchor for the national character of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, against those who seek to deny the Jewish people’s right to a national home in its homeland. The other side argues that this is discriminatory legislation, which undermines the democratic nature of the State of Israel. In reviewing the Nation State Law, it is important to consider...
It is imperative that a multiyear budget for the Ministry of Defense and the IDF be prepared for the years 2021-2025, once the multiyear Gideon plan ends. This plan will also be the key for jumpstarting the procurement processes required within the framework of the new US aid program (2019-2028), which is a key to future IDF buildup. Defining a formula that links budgets to GDP or GDP per capita could be one of the most important elements in shaping the defense budgets in shekels for the next multiyear plan.
Following years of uncertainty regarding who was responsible for Israel’s civilian front prior to and during emergencies, a recent decision by the Minister of Defense positioned the Home Front Command (HFC) as the operative arm that will prepare the civilian front for emergencies and coordinate the local authorities and the emergency agencies in real time. On the face of it, this is a logical decision, considering the HFC’s robustness as part of the IDF, with all of its assets and budgets. However, a fundamental question is whether a...
The relations of the state and the Jewish majority with the Arab-Palestinian society directly concern Israel’s national security. Like the Commission of Inquiry into the Clashes between Security Forces and Israeli Citizens in October 2000 (Or Commission), so too, the president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, deems the advancement and integration of Arab society in the social and economic life of the state—on the basis of full and equal citizenship—as an interest of utmost national importance to Israel’s social, economic, and moral...
“Solid Stand,” the annual nation-wide exercise conducted by the Home Front Command, was held in the framework of the large IDF general staff exercise. Since the home front participation was part of a classified military exercise, the involvement of civilian parties and the general public became less relevant. As a result, the ability of the civilian organs, which play a key role in the management of any emergency, to take part in the drill was limited. This article presents a number of primary gaps in the realm of state...
Israel’s current strategic situation is one of the most favorable the country has known in its 70 years of existence. Nonetheless, its margins of security are narrow, and it cannot rest on its laurels or rely on the IDF’s military power. There must be political action to promote the future of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, secure, and moral state. Israel’s national security challenges are closely interrelated: to confront Iran’s ambitions to increase its regional influence, Israel must build partnerships with regional...
This memorandum relates to one of Israel’s main national security issues, namely, the charged relations between the State of Israel and its Arab- Palestinian minority. In recent years these relations have been high on the state’s political and public agenda, and the issue has become more prominent with the deterioration in the security situation since fall 2015. The current wave of violence, which began in East Jerusalem and spread to the WestBank as well as to cities within the Green Line, has also highlighted what is happening...
In the course of 2017, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conducted a research study to examine the situation in the Gaza Strip, with a focus on the prevailing political, economic, infrastructural, and security conditions, including their cumulative manifestations and their short term and long term implications. The aim of the project was to provide a knowledge base for reevaluation of Israeli policy toward the region and for an international reconstruction project. Underlying this aim is the understanding that the...
This paper reviews the evolution of US policy toward Gaza following Israel’s disengagement in 2005. It discusses the effectiveness of the current US approach toward Gaza, and analyzes the key US interests, leverage, and limitations that pertain to the Strip. Finally, based on open-source materials and off the record conversations with former US officials across administrations, experts, and NGO staff working on Gaza, the paper recommends concrete short and long term policy options for the United States in Gaza.
This article examines the implications of Gaza’s water crisis for public health. The Strip’s water problems are inseparable from its energy woes; this linkage is addressed in greater detail elsewhere in this collection. The article first reviews the general factors that have worsened Gaza’s water crisis recently; this is followed by an overview of the current domestic water supply and state of water sanitation in Gaza. It then describes water-related risks to public health, particularly chemical and biological contamination, and...
Shira Efron | Jordan R. Fischbach | Giulia Giordano
