The appointment of the new IDF Chief of Staff is an opportunity to examine fundamental issues and significant challenges that will likely figure during his upcoming tenure. The success of the Chief of Staff and the enhancement of IDF strength are not the exclusive responsibility of the commander of the military and are not only military matters but are rather a critical issue for Israel’s national security, which requires the involvement and direction of the political echelon. This article considers several of the most urgent issues...
Although severe earthquakes in Israel are bound to occur, national preparedness for these events is deficient. Against this backdrop, the government’s decision in May 2022 to formulate operational plans for long-term physical, social, and economic recovery following a severe earthquake is of particular importance. This decision is commendable as an essential step on the long road to overall preparedness for mass disasters that cause unprecedented damage. It is crucial that the government implement the decision even at a time of...
The Diversity and Representation Report for 2021, issued in May 2022 by the Civil Service Commission, determined that for some groups in the Israeli population, “the civil service generally meets targets” for appropriate representation. However, the statistics contained in the report itself indicate that not one of the target groups is appropriately represented in the civil service. This lapse likely stems from lack of motivation by government ministries and auxiliary units, and to faulty performance by the Commission in outlining...
The IDF recently decided to add the value of “stateliness” to its ethical code, presented in “The Spirit of the IDF.” The addition states that “The IDF is the people’s army, a stately army, subject to the law and to the government. IDF soldiers will act only in accordance with the mission, IDF values, and the imperatives of national security; they will do so in a principled, straightforward, and exemplary manner.” The term “stateliness” (mamlachtiyut in Hebrew) is vague: in its Ben-Gurionist sense, i.e., that the...
A recent announcement noted the launch of the Israeli Guard, whose main purpose, at least in the initial phase, will be to provide the Border Police with much-needed reinforcement. Composed of police officers and army reservists, it will seek to optimize operational responses to large-scale domestic public disturbances, based on lessons learned from the May 2021 clashes between Arab and Jewish Israeli citizens. Reinforcement of the Border Police is imperative, and should be enhanced by human resources and advanced technologies...
One of the key aspects of the war that Russia imposed on Ukraine is the surprising level of steadfastness among the Ukrainian civilian front, which prevents Russia from realizing its military advantage and determining the outcome of the war. The civilian home front in Ukraine was rebuilt after Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, and it functions remarkably well based on the general mobilizing of recruits and volunteering of civilians for a variety of national and local missions, including combat, in the territorial...
The national home front exercise in November 2021 saw Israel’s national systems that manage the response by the home front to emergencies successfully address the challenge of working together in a multi-arena crisis environment. Its achievements are particularly noteworthy in the joint management, the definition of understandings between the Home Front Command and the National Emergency Authority after many years of disagreements, the promotion of a common digital system, and the exercise of operational plans and promotion of...
Installation of the Tru’ah early warning system in Israel, designed to provide limited early warnings of earthquakes, was recently completed. The system constitutes an important albeit insufficient step on the long road toward building adequate preparedness. This article describes the benefits and limitations of the new system, and proposes necessary supplementary components to realize its potential fully. It suggests what is needed in the physical and cognitive domains in addition to the Tru’ah system to complete...
A widespread protest is underway in the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society in Israel against the reform intended by the Minister of Communications regarding “kosher” cell phones: transparency in the decisions of the Rabbinical Committee for Communications and the abolition of the preliminary digits that identify kosher telephone numbers. Most of the sub-communities and circles in the haredi society are united in the protest against the intended reform, in particular the abolition of the preliminary code. This article reviews the...
Three seminal developments shaped the domestic arena in Israel over the past year. The first was the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, marked by changing intensities and Israel’s successful vaccination campaign. The second was Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, which posed difficult challenges to Israel both militarily vis-à-vis Hamas in Gaza and domestically, with violent clashes between Arabs and Jews in Israel. The third was the formation of the new Israeli government.
The majority of the Israeli public believes that the state’s national security is solid. Confidence in state institutions – the government, the police, and the judicial system – is relatively low, while confidence in the security organizations – the IDF, Mossad, and Israel Security Agency – is stable and high. The majority of the public feels that Israel can successfully cope with external military threats and supports military action to tackle these threats. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a nuclear Iran are ranked as the most...
The government’s long-term plans to curb crime in Arab society and encourage social and economic development in the sector have created a confluence of interests between the state and Arab society and its leaders, and a rare opportunity to transform the relations between the Jewish majority and the Arab minority. Smart implementation of these plans could not only mitigate underlying root problems, but also diminish the tension between Arabs and Jews, strengthen internal stability, improve personal security, and allay the mutual fears...
