It was a boon for the people of Israel that a round of warfare broke out at the same time as rioting by Arab Israelis, a moment before it was too late. If the riots had erupted during a bigger war involving both the northern front and the Gaza Strip, the results might have been too terrible to imagine.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
There are two basic problems that stand out in the readiness of the security and defense establishment. The first has to do with a serious shortage of manpower available to the Israel Police and the IDF in an emergency situation. The second lies with an erosion of the home defense that used to be based on armed civilians at points of friction.
The illusion of a "small, smart army" has for over three decades led to a trend of reducing IDF manpower, especially in reservist units. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert weighed in on the matter with an article he wrote in Ma'ariv on April 9 titled "Time for a reform in the military," in which he questioned the idea of compulsory service, which he argued belonged to a 1950s-era ethos. It's true that new methods of fighting, including precise weapons and effective intelligence, give the IDF a qualitative edge. But despite the technological breakthrough, the thought that the time of mass enlistment is over denies the complicated aspects of warfare. The brunt of the fighting should indeed rest with a high-quality, innovative, and effective vanguard. But when it comes to support, there needs to be an extensive safety net of mid-level reservists.
Given current events, there is a need to establish a large security force comprised of reservists that operates under the IDF Home Front Command or the Border Police. For years, most of the young soldiers discharged from the IDF haven't been assigned to reserve units. The fight for sovereignty and governability demands reorganization through building a military and police force appropriate to the challenge. In the meantime, Israel still hasn't acknowledged the potential of the internal threat to develop into an existential one.
Home defense is vital: in regular times, other than the small security teams in frontline communities, residents of Israel are unarmed and not organized to protect their hometowns, which also lack defensive fortifications that can be erected in case of a surprise attack. When the late Rafael Eitan was IDF chief of staff, communities were outfitted with defensive measures that were based on local residents, who would be called up as reservists. Eitan put out a message that said: "The home defenses are the local army. They need to ensure control and they need to prevent the enemy from sabotaging our systems in case of war. Therefore, it is vital to equip them with up-to-date weapons, train their residents for the task, and make them defendable."
This approach to organizing security in frontline communities, as well as in mixed cities, has fallen by the wayside not only because time has passed, but mostly because the IDF and political leadership stopped believing in it. In the new conditions that have been created, with the danger of the enemy launching an attack on border-adjacent communities or rioting that targets Jewish residents of mixed cities, the government needs to provide an immediate defensive solution. The solution being offered now is fundamentally flawed: deploying military forces to defend frontline communities, as well as deploying police during clashes in cities, depends on having intelligence ahead of time, which is not something that can be counted on. There could be a gap between the outbreak of events and the time the protective forc3es arrive. In addition, the military and police forces, even at full strength, are insufficient to meet the need.
This is how Yigal Allon explained it: "Without home defense, mainly based on settlement, the military would have to divert significant personnel for defensive purposes. The IDF, which is smaller than the Arab armies that surround Israel, cannot allow itself to weaken its offensive capability."
But as the years went by, in contrast to the legacy of the past, residents of frontline communities are no longer organized as part of the defensive system. In the reality that has emerged, it is once again necessary to integrate locals into defensive efforts. This will provide a safety net and allow for a better and more effective use of IDF and police personnel that focuses on emergency situations.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
