What is known as “the Begin Doctrine” instructs that countries that are hostile to Israel and that call for its destruction must not be allowed to develop a nuclear military capability that could be used against Israel. Israel’s attacks against the nuclear reactors under construction in Iraq and in Syria achieved total destruction of the reactors, and without casualties. Moreover, history has shown that in light of the developments that followed the respective attacks, the nuclear programs of Iraq and Syria were postponed for...
The Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip is heavily engaged in preparations for a the “Great March of Return,” scheduled for May 14, 2018, when thousands of Gaza’s Palestinians will march toward the security fence and position themselves in tent cities along the Israeli border. The event is intended to highlight the Palestinian refugee issue and connect it to the plight of those living the Gaza Strip, while positioning Hamas as the leader of the national struggle and a worthy alternative to Fatah. Although the move aims for cognitive...
According to the state budget for 2019, approved by the Knesset on March 15, 2018, the Defense Ministry budget will stand at NIS 72.9 billion gross and NIS 55.3 billion net (11.5 percent of the state budget). The Defense Ministry’s budget for 2019 represents the fourth year in the IDF’s five-year plan (the Gideon Plan for 2016-2020), during which it must start to formulate a new five-year plan. The budget includes the budget for the first year of the US multi-year aid package (2019-2028), which is less flexible than its predecessor....
The indictment filed by the United States Justice Department on February 16, 2018 against 13 Russian citizens and three Russian companies regarding attempts to promote the candidacy of Donald Trump for the US presidency, amounting to intervention in the country’s political system, is a phenomenon enabling interference in the “consciousness” of another country, in the form of “cognitive subversion.” Cognitive subversion exploits one of the basic principles of democracy, freedom of speech, particularly...
Israel’s aerial superiority over the next decade will to a large degree depend on the technological advantages that the F-35 fighter affords it. Consequently, Israel must retain its regional exclusivity of this platform and work to delay the release of fifth- generation fighters to other countries in the region for as long as possible. The United States is currently the primary potential supplier of this capability to the region, and Israel must impress upon the administration its objection to the release of the F-35 to the Gulf...
The IDF has intensified its cognitive-related activity recently and engaged in a significant buildup process in this realm. This has included developing a cognitive operations doctrine and engaging in developing technological tools, training human resources, and building organizational frameworks supporting the doctrine. The use of overt capabilities by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit enables direct discourse with many target audiences in enemy states on the social media, as well as with terrorist elements. This is effected using the...
Recent events in Israel’s northern arena dramatize the main message of the IDF intelligence assessment for 2018, namely, that the likelihood of war has risen considerably due to the deteriorating situation, even if neither side wants it. This was likewise the conclusion of the net assessment written by INSS Director Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin that concludes Strategic Survey for Israel 2017-2018, published recently by INSS. This assessment and the history of events deteriorating into military conflict in the Middle East emphasize...
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...
The Russian interference in the presidential elections in the United States and in France raises questions about the need and ability of democratic countries to protect their election processes. This article indicates the importance of relating to elections in a democratic country as both critical infrastructure and as a critical process, and it presents the threats to elections posed by both cyber and cultural developments. This article addresses the reality in which the extensive use of social networks and direct communications...
The field of cyber has acquired increasing legitimacy as an arena of action, as the international system becomes accustomed to its various uses for a range of needs. Israel sees cyber as a vital component of its national security, requiring investment and nurturing. From a historical point of view, the success of security and intelligence campaigns derives from smartly integrating new fields into the existing fabric—means, methods, and concepts— while implementing the necessary changes and adjustments. With the rapid introduction of...
This essay discusses four principal disputes in Israeli society related to national security, focusing on approaches to these issues among the Israeli Jewish public (hereafter, “the public”). It outlines the connection between these disputes and different world views among the public, based on respective approaches to the country’s core values. To this end, the essay discusses the significance of Israel’s definition as a “Jewish and democratic state,” the role of liberal values in the Israeli democratic context, and possible ways to...
Seven years after the onset of the upheaval in the Middle East and two years since the implementation of the nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran, the main contours of the region’s emerging reality – including the actors, rivalries, partnerships, front lines, power relations, and behavior of the major powers – are becoming clear. Now, after nearly one full year at the Washington helm, the nature of the Trump administration and its influence on the domestic arena, the Middle East, and the global stage are also coming into...
