A number of articles published recently in Israel and abroad have questioned the actual number of rockets shot down by Iron Dome during Operation Pillar of Defense. The source of these articles is a study conducted by Professor Theodore Postol, a well-known expert at MIT, together with Israeli researcher Dr. Mordechai Shefer and an unnamed engineer from Raytheon. The report claims that Iron Dome was able to intercept only 5 percent of all the rockets fired at Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, a far cry from...
Dozens of important issues await a decision by the new Defense Minister. Many people will try to advance the issues they deem critical and will attempt to persuade the Minister to hold discussions on particular subjects, from the border of the Golan Heights to the border with Egypt, from drafting the ultra-Orthodox to the performance of the Iron Dome. However, proper leadership in the Defense Ministry requires a focus on the main issues, the issues fateful for the future of the State of Israel. It is important for Minister Yaalon to...
The first test launch of the Arrow-3 missile interceptor system was conducted by the Israeli defense establishment on February 25, 2013. Once it becomes operational, scheduled for 2014-2015, the Arrow-3 system will add another layer to Israel’s multi-tiered missile defense system and will provide Israel with protection against a threat that until now has not been met. In addition, the Arrow-3 has aspects that are no less important than Israel’s heightened ability to intercept missiles. The development of the system represents a...
Part Two of the report of the Public Commission to Examine the Maritime Incident of 31 May 2010, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Yaakov Turkel, was published on February 6, 2013. It addresses one of the most fundamental questions in international law: methods of examining and investigating complaints and allegations about violations of the laws of war. The most significant conclusion by the commission was that “the examination and investigation mechanisms in Israel for complaints and claims of violations of the laws of armed...
The book includes thirteen analytical essays written by INSS and outside researchers. Focus is on Israel’s strategic environment, particularly the challenges and the opportunities that await Israel in 2013. The chief issues are: the Iranian nuclear threat; renewal of the politcal process with the Palestinians; preservation of the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan; the increasing instability among Israel’s neighbors, especially Syria; and preservation of Israel’s international stature.
The social protests of the summer of 2011 on the one hand, and the security challenges facing Israel on the other, have intensified the israeli debate on national expenditure priorities, pitting social welfare against defense needs. This essay presents an analysis of Israel’s national priorities as demonstrated in practice by the allocation of national resources between the military and civilian (public and private) sectors, based on the national accounting data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The essays by INSS researchers compiled in this volume offer initial assessments of various aspects of Operation Pillar of Defense, launched by Israel in November 2012. Part I of the collection focuses primarily on military and strategic issues, including the importance of the civilian front and the new “hero” of the operation, the Iron Dome system. Part II is devoted to the political ramifications of the operation, focusing in particular on the roles played by the United States and the new Egyptian regime, and the...
Operation Change of Direction, the code name given to Israel’s war against Hizbollah in Lebanon in 2006 by the Operations Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was the most inconclusive performance by far in the IDF’s many trials by fire since 1948, in that it represented the first time that a major regional confrontation ended without a clear cut victory on Israel’s part. The campaign’s uneven course and outcome resulted from a more overarching deficiency in strategy choice, whose most flawed...
This article reviews India’s gradual rise to the status of international power and its growing interest in the “expanded neighborhood,” with a focus on the western section of that “neighborhood.” This comprises, first and foremost, the maritime region west of India through the Strait of Hormuz in the north and the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa in the south, and also includes the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the East African coast. The terms “power projection,” “sea power,” and...
On October 21-25, 2012, Israel held its first national exercise to examine how prepared the state and its institutions are for a severe earthquake. This was the country’s sixth home front exercise, held annually as part of the lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War. The decision to devote this year’s scenario to an earthquake is notable, as it implies (a) recognition of the importance of preparing for natural disasters whose damage to life and property are expected to be much higher than those inflicted by war, terrorism,...
This article will examine various aspects of maritime enforcement and prevention methods in the context of Iran, first and foremost a naval blockade, for the purpose of stepping up pressure to thwart proliferation of non-conventional weapons. In addition, it will discuss the ramifications of these enforcement and prevention measures and the relevant alternatives available to the international community.
If indeed the world is engaged in a global war on terrorism, what is the optimal way to defend against it? Should the response be focused on defensive aspects or should offensive ones augment defensive measures? Who are the enemies and where is the battle zone? This essay examines these questions from an historical perspective in order to draw conclusions and attempt to formulate some insights about the right strategy and most effective tactics involving technology as a critical component in the response to this type of warfare.
