The Israeli government decided to start the construction of a high–tech smart security fence along the 1967 green line in order to prevent Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating into Israel and executing acts of terror. Hundreds of people had been killed and thousands wounded in the surge of Palestinian terror attacks against civilians that followed the second intifada in September 2000. There is no debate on the success of the security fence in preventing terror attacks against Israeli citizens and in […]
Security for Israel is the foundation of any successful effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Any peace agreement would likely collapse in the event of a terrorist attack or military invasion that the agreement was widely seen as having enabled. And only when the question of security is satisfactorily addressed will leaders have the political capital required to resolve the remaining core issues of the conflict. Though security is often framed as a distinctly Israeli concern, a future state of […]
Over the past 11 years, more than 15,000 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and by Hamas in the Gaza strip. Until recently, the only thing Israeli civilians could do was run for cover but in the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas late last year, some people stopped running and tried to get some good pictures because this time when Hamas fired rockets from Gaza at Israeli cities, Iron Dome fired […]
The Iranian government’s extreme interpretation of Islamic law and its anti-Western philosophy, inspire the rise of Islamic extremists across the world. Iran is also one of the principal state sponsors of terror, proudly delivering weapons to Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists, and the regime also continues to provide safe haven for many international terrorists, including senior al-Qaeda leaders Yasin al-Suri, Saif al-Adel and Abu Muhammad al-Masri. But above all these concerns, the most menacing threat Iran poses to international security is […]
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was officially established on May 31, 1948, shortly after the founding of the State of Israel. The IDF incorporated pre-state Jewish paramilitary organizations, including the Haganah, Palmach, Irgun and Lehi. The IDF mission is to “defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel. To protect the inhabitants of Israel and to combat all forms of terrorism which threaten the daily life”. National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over […]
Israel's Defense Policies – “centrality of security” Acute threats by Arab states led Israel to the institutionalization of the “centrality of security” concept, an approach that was strengthened by arms embargoes and broken agreements among foreign suppliers. Hence, Israel’s policymakers encouraged a rapid expansion of the state-owned arms industries and their involvement in production of state-of-the-art weapon systems. Over the years Israel realized that financial and technological constraints made self-sufficiency in arms supply impossible. This recognition led to a dual-policy […]
The head commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is known as the Commander in Chief or Chief of General Staff. The Chief of General Staff holds the highest rank in the IDF, which is equivalent to Lieutenant General. This position is appointed by the Government of Israel and is subordinate to the Defense Minister. As a result of the importance of the IDF to the state of Israel and its society, the position is of great significance. Many former […]