The mandate of the Israel Defense Forces is to defend the state from security threats, and Israel’s military is necessarily and unequivocally subordinate to the legally elected political echelon. The IDF is not meant to be the protector of democracy; that is not its role. Reservist officers, no matter how senior and talented they may be, are not constitutional scholars and are not authorized – by virtue of Israel’s nonexistent constitution or by the Basic Law: The Military – to defend Israel’s democratic regime. Those anxious for the...
Advocating the separation between the military and politics treats the IDF like a governmental tool – while ignoring, either knowingly or not, the fact that the people who serve in the IDF are, first and foremost, citizens. The outcome of “separating the military from politics” is the nullification of the idea that the IDF is the people’s army, whose values are entrenched in the values of the people – including the very clear distinction between not volunteering and the refusal to serve. It is no coincidence that reserve pilots from...
Over the past seven months, Israel’s current government has undermined the status of women through legislation, coalition decisions, and inflammatory public discourse fueled by controversial statements from senior officials. Not only is this disturbing from a moral standpoint, but it also has potential national security implications for Israel.
The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in an urgent alert:
The model of the IDF as the “people’s army” is at risk of dissolution. This can result in a weakened military and lead Israel toward a precarious reality that jeopardizes the regional deterrence equation. Current developments coincide with escalating threats on various fronts. We call urgently for an immediate cessation of unilateral legislation, and urge that changes be pursued through a broad consensus.
Israel’s home front functioned well during Operation Shield and Arrow, the recent short round of fighting against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). There was no evidence of the impaired national consensus and undermined societal solidarity of recent months sparked by the political-social crisis, which raised questions about national security issues, including mandatory service in the IDF and the commitment to serve. The return to routine following the operation was swift. Overall, the limited round of fighting did not severely...
The IDF has recently assigned soldiers from combat units to tasks of protecting the residents of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other cities, as reinforcement for the Israel Police. This situation is problematic in many senses, as assigning soldiers to policing tasks is a measure that is reserved for real emergency situations. Despite the current tense security reality, it seems that it is not a situation that justifies this step. Normalizing the use of armed soldiers to address security threats within the country’s territory could...
The violent clashes between Arabs and Jews in May 2021, as well as the increase in violence and crime in Israel, have put pressure on the political echelon to respond quickly and dramatically to the shortcomings in law enforcement and governance on the ground, particularly by strengthening the immediate response capabilities of the Israel Police, including the Israeli Border Police. As a result, a number of proposals were submitted to the government to ensure full, swift, and visible enforcement. The establishment of the new...
Current Israeli Strategy – Could change with the new government, especially regarding the essentials of the democratic regime, checks and balances, and ways to enhance internal security | Israel’s Strategic Gap – Insufficient systemic treatment of various domestic challenges, such as the need to advance the Arab community, improve personal security, and increase home front preparedness for man-made and natural emergencies | Recommended Strategy – Maintain substantive democracy as the needed basic framework for...
The clause in the coalition agreement that permits discrimination against social groups “in services and entry to entertainment venues and public places” is morally and socially objectionable. The initiative is based on exclusionary bias and reflects the notion that Jewish, white, religious, heterosexual males are superior to all others, and further deepens the rifts and existing polarization of Israeli society. Indeed, the very proposal amounts to a blow against societal resilience and, consequently, national security. The fervent...
The recent friction between Givati Brigade soldiers and leftist activists in Hebron is the tip of the iceberg of extensive and significant phenomena related to the operational conduct of soldiers toward civilians, the responsibility of commanders, and the job of military policing in the Palestinian territories. The incidents also relate to the demographic structure of the units in the zones ridden with ongoing hostilities. Furthermore, regarding the use of force, the friction and the response to it bespeak a conceptual and normative...
The results of the recent elections to the 25th Knesset, even before the establishment of a new government, create a likely basis for governmental stability, which could well facilitate long-term planning and more effective management of critical national security issues. A central question in this context is the future influence of the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties on the public mood and on decisions regarding sensitive issues, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, and in...
