Publications

We invite you to look and learn about the fallen through this annual memorial project—to once again recognize how, in the microcosm of the people’s army, the character of its fallen reflects the society itself.

An empirical examination and historical review of appointments to key positions in the IDF’s General Staff over the past five decades reveal a marked tendency toward similarity bias, particularly evident in the frequent promotion of individuals from the Paratroopers and Sayeret Matkal units. This bias reflects a form of “human duplication,” stemming from a preference to appoint people who resemble oneself. As similar individuals tend to think alike, it reduces critical, challenging, and skeptical thinking, thereby affecting the...

Recently, the public discourse has been heavily focused on the possibility of a comprehensive war with Hezbollah. This article focuses on the severe damages expected in such a war to Israel’s civilian home front and its functional continuity, and consequently to the resilience of Israeli society and its ability to recover from the war. The analysis puts forward the need to carefully consider the risks posed by such a war to the civilian sphere, especially as long as the war in the Gaza Strip continues.

Operation Swords of Iron—the war in Gaza—brought the government to order the evacuation of communities close to the frontlines in the South and the North and their integration in various institutional frameworks around the country. At the same time, other residents and communities independently evacuated themselves. According to figures released by Israel’s National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and presented by the Research and Information Center, as of November 1, 2023 around 253,000 Israelis Knesset’s had been evacuated...

The war between Israel and Hamas, which started on October 7, will most likely continue for some time; this means there is an operational need to increase the personnel available to the IDF. In this context, the army is proposing to extend compulsory military service for men to three years, to significantly expand the length of annual reserve duty, and to raise the age at which reserve duty ends. This article clarifies and explains the legal memoranda published on this issue, which have far-reaching social implications. Adopting...

Israel’s reserve forces have now been mobilized for three months. Their ability to continue to serve is based on the spirit of the people, the atmosphere in the country following the events of October 7, and the moral and economic support of the home front. However, these elements may diminish over time – not as the result of a specific event, but rather as the outcome of a process that is difficult to identify. Many reserve soldiers have sacrificed their lives, and others are willing to continue to risk their lives in this just war....

The trauma of October 7 shaped the Israeli public’s collective sense of an existential threat, and consequently fostered a broad consensus that Israel is in the throes of a just and unavoidable war against Hamas. This is the basis for the overwhelming public support both for the IDF and for the war’s objectives, as defined by the government. Yet a long war, and certainly if it spreads to other fronts or encounters serious obstacles, would pose a considerable threat to Israel’s societal resilience and might challenge public...

The protest by the reserve soldiers and the crisis confronting the IDF is examined here from three angles: non-volunteering, containment of the protest, and the conscription law. Even if the protest has ostensibly calmed down, the threat of non-volunteering for reserve service remains and is expected to resurface if, within the framework of the proposed judicial overhaul, the legislation on changes to the composition of the judicial selection committee moves forward in the Knesset, or if the conscription bill, in one version or...

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...

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...