Losing confidence in the IDF
JVL Introduction
The impact for Israelis of October 7th 2023 was profound; trauma for those directly affected or with relatives and friends killed or captured and the shock that the Israeli Military had not provided the protection needed. Certainly, for Israelis the IDF is not the institution they thought it was and many, even at senior levels in the military question its tactics and effectiveness.
“What we’re doing now is the worst of all worlds. We’re not striving for a [diplomatic] agreement, our army lacks confidence…and we are also creating motivation for aggression against us.” (my emph Ed)
Annother Ha’aretz article says that the IDF is fixated on “…arrogance, smugness, ego, unprofessionalism, evasion of responsibility and criminal negligence.”. Another argues that Increasing Israel’s Military Budget Will Be an Economic Disaster for Ordinary Israelis and another, says: “The disaster (of October 7th) occurred not because the IDF wasn’t big enough, but because of a resounding failure to sound a warning and because of a sequence of mistaken decisions made by the army’s senior officers in the hours before the attack.”
LL
This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Tue 18 Feb 2025. Read the original here.
Israel Is Throwing a Trillion Shekels at a 'Hysterical Army' That Can't Defend Its Borders
Failing to safeguard its borders, Israel tries to conquer territory as a defensive tactic, whose success is highly questionable. ‘The IDF has lost its self-confidence,’ says a veteran military historian
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I wonder how many Israelis forced as CONSCRIPTS to do national service in the IDF still feel Israel as a state is WORTH protecting? If few do, then how is it fair to expect them to offer the IDF anything more than as little of their hearts and minds as they can get away with? The last few years of Israeli history have seen masses of furiously angry citizens out on the streets fighting against the government, its attacks on civil liberties and its corrupt practices.