The Terrorists’ Escape from Gilboa Prison: A Wake-Up Call for Israeli Society

Recent events, including the escape of six terrorists from Gilboa Prison and the death of Sgt. Barel Hadaria Shmueli, who was shot point blank by a Palestinian terrorist, represent a wake-up call for Israelis who have grown too accustomed to the pursuit of day-to-day quiet as a strategic choice. Whether Israelis recognize it or not, they are in a state of war with their enemies.

Into the Heart of a Hezbollah Terror Tunnel

The Arabic language desk of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit marked 15 years since the Second Lebanon War by inviting Israeli media commentators to visit a Hezbollah terror tunnel on the border with Lebanon. I was one of the participants.

On Wars and Changing Threats

Israeli society must recognize the intensity of the new threats that surround it and critically assess the conventional wisdom that the era of big threats has passed and Israel need no longer be a “mobilized nation.”

Operation Guardian of the Walls: Tactical Victory, Strategic Defeat

Dr. Doron Matza
May 25, 2021
Paper No. 2048

Israel ended the war in Gaza with impressive tactical achievements but in a position of great strategic inferiority. The outcome recalls America’s quantitative achievements in the Vietnam War alongside its strategic defeat in that conflict.

Did the Gaza Operation Achieve Its Political Goal?

Dr. Hanan Shai
May 24, 2021
Paper No. 2046

Operation Guardian of the Walls was supposed to achieve the political goal of “restoring quiet and security to Israel.” Despite the IDF’s spectacular exploits and extensive destruction of targets, it appears that control over the length of the quiet and the quality of Israel’s security will remain in Hamas’s hands, just as it was before the operation.

The Systemic Failure of Israeli Public Diplomacy

Israel has not yet internalized the full value of either dynamic public diplomacy or sophisticated psychological warfare. Because revitalization of the country’s public diplomacy bodies is highly unlikely in a system in which those bodies are dispersed among multiple ministerial and security frameworks, the public diplomacy system should be privatized.

The Revolution Within the IDF

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Hasson Hasson’s recent depiction of the threats facing Israel is very disturbing, even if it contains no new revelations. The IDF is undergoing a revolution as it strives to be prepared to handle these threats.

The Revolution Within the IDF

Hezbollah’s Advanced Missile Targets Israeli Drone as Israel Rethinks Purpose of Future War

Hezbollah’s firing of an advanced surface-to-air missile at an Israeli intelligence-gathering drone over Lebanon on February 3 is an acute reminder of the high-stakes cat-and-mouse game being conducted daily between a democratic state and a terror organization that has morphed into a terror army.t

The IDF Must Be Ready to Prevent Iran’s Nuclearization

Ensuring the necessary capabilities to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons should political efforts fail to achieve this goal must be the IDF’s top priority. Judging from his speech on January 26, Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi is facing this professional and moral responsibility with great determination.