A lot of experiences were accumulated by Maj. Gen. (Res.) Tamir Heiman during his 34 years of service in the IDF.
As the head of the Armed Forces who was involved in the efforts to locate the missing, Heiman was invited to represent the IDF.
"The class was very exciting. At the ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, rows of Russian soldiers saluted a coffin wrapped in the Israeli flag, in a very respectable parade. For me, as someone who started the service as a Baumler, it was also a kind of closing circle. Life, "Heiman says in the first interview since he took off his uniform, about six months ago.
Are there really any allegations made then, as if this is Putin's political gift to Netanyahu ahead of the election?
"It's just not true. It's a long operation that came to a decision. There were some attempts before, and some after. The timing was unrelated to the election."
As someone who has sat with Putin and knows the Israeli interests in Syria, is the relatively quiet attitude that Israel takes toward the war in Ukraine right in your eyes? Ethically, are we not expected to make a clear voice against the Russian invasion and war crimes?
"Israel can produce a much clearer voice in this area. As a country that strongly opposes any external intervention of foreign power, border conflicts and national issues of self-determination, it is in Israel's top interest to go out and oppose anyone who solves border problems through military force, military enforcement and no internal solution. That's a statement that can be made. "
How will such a critical Israeli position affect the freedom of activity of the Air Force in Syria?
"Even if there are operational effects, the IDF will know how to deal with them.
These are tactical considerations that should not affect the expression of such an important position at the level of national security and the field of values. "
Tell me about your meetings with Putin.
"I have been with him twice. I think we have been able to clarify the problem we have with the Iranian establishment, and that it is hidden under Syrian infrastructure. "A threat of long-range missiles that you are working against."
Critical thinking is required
Heiman (54) began his career in the IDF as a armorer, and did a significant part of his service on Israel's northern borders. Many training positions, including the commander of the colleges, and from 2018 to 2021 served as head of the Armed Forces - a position in which he had a lot of interface with the political echelon, especially during the Netanyahu era but also with Naftali Bennett.
In Heiman's shift as head of the Armed Forces, there was a severe entanglement of force from the Knesset in the Khan Yunis - an incident that ended in the death of Lt. Col. Mahmoud Khir a-Din. The Walls headed the Intelligence Division, and we'll return to this operation later.
During Gate Week, Heiman was elected to head the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.
He joins Prof. Emanuel Trachtenberg, head of the institute, who will continue to manage his socio-economic activities.
Heiman will conduct the security-political research, at an institute that is considered the most influential.
We meet in his new office at the institute.
Heiman strives to bring to the INSS a fresh, non-stenciled way of thinking, which in his opinion has disrupted the decision-making of the political and security echelons.
Re-examine every day.
The reactor at Bushehr,
"Today's world, especially after the war in Ukraine, makes it clear that it is not a miracle of the element of military power and heavy fighting," he says. It's a broader perspective. "
Is there an example of the institute's contribution to decision making?
"Yes. We have a 'China Plan' institute with a variety of experts in the field. Work done here has shown that there are positive things in Chinese investments, but there are also risks. This plan has significantly influenced Israel's policy."
You said that the institute was intended to provide a different perspective, but there is criticism that it is actually the clear representative of the security establishment, since it is composed of people from the defense establishment.
"The institute contains not only the graduates but also academic experts in their field, and the meeting between the people in the act, the graduates, and the researchers, is unique. I deny the claim that there are only graduates here."
Here at the institute, Naftali Bennett delivered a significant speech in which he criticized the stereotypes of the defense establishment, arguing that more creative thinking is needed. What do you think?
"This is an important challenge and it seems right to place it. Every body must have critical thinking in front of it. In the IAF, it turns out that this is almost a religion, since the Yom Kippur War.
So in that sense, I'm in favor, as long as it's not about sarcasm and cynicism or just an opinion from the stands, but about established positions. "
Multilayer national security
Heiman was the head of the Armed Forces during Operation Wall Guard, and knows that the system in Israel was surprised in several respects. Until the outbreak of the event, the Armed Forces believed that Hamas was deterred and had no interest in escalation.
Even at Eitan Cliff they claimed so, but Hamas only escalated the fighting.
In general, it seems that from the fall of Mubarak to Assad's survival, intelligence was missed.
"There will always be events that everyone misses," Heiman admits. Public formation. "
There is another gap that worries many, and that is the huge investment in security compared to the feeling of personal insecurity. It is more prominent in the Jerusalem and the periphery area but not only. How do you close this gap?
"National security is multi-layered. There is personal security and a sense of security of the individual, there is guarding the borders and there is sovereignty. The security system provides a very good level of sovereignty and protection against enemies, as well as against terrorist organizations. "Our intelligence system is one of the world's leaders in dealing with the phenomenon of individual attacks. And yet, when there is such a wave, there is indeed a certain gap in the sense of personal security."
In the Guardian of the Walls, we saw an unprecedented wave of riots among Israeli Arabs, including lynchings, roadblocks and more. Later there were riots in the Negev, following the plantations there. Should a connection between the conflict with the Palestinians and the issue of Israeli Arabs be a reference scenario of the system?
"There are very specific issues that bind the entire Arab and Palestinian system together, religious issues that the Temple Mount is at the forefront. Without the Temple Mount, this would not have happened. The Temple Mount is the Archimedean point of explosions. No serious mistakes will be made, they will not connect with each other.
Not everything is predictable.
The Guardian of the Walls, Photo: Jonathan Shaul
"Israeli Arabs want to be part of Israel. They will not give it up in favor of Palestinian residency in Judea and Samaria.
And the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria have a different vision, so uniting around religion and the Temple Mount can be a unifying factor. The second issue that can connect is a random and unplanned formation as a result of a lack of political decision. It is a long-term strategy and it is related to strategic decisions that need to be made. "
In what direction should there be the same strategic decision vis-à-vis the Palestinians? Two countries? The Geneva Initiative? The Trump plan? Maybe one country?
"The Palestinian system is one of the complicated tasks. Maybe we need to look for more ways. I do not see any hope in the current solutions. A settlement solution or a decisive military solution, they are unrealistic and unworkable. If nothing is done, it is also a bad thing, contrary to the Zionist ethos. .
Decisions in which direction?
"If I had an answer, you would know. It is a fascinating challenge. Every recommendation should meet Israel's security principles. If you mentioned the Trump plan, it had problems, but from a purely security point of view it addressed most of the challenges."
What is the explanation for the silence that has lasted since the Wall Guard?
"The Wall Guard was one of the most powerful systems used against Hamas. The IDF acted very aggressively, with the only restraint being not to harm innocent people.
There was no restriction on harm or overthrow of their political echelon, or of Hamas rule.
We took off gloves and surprised them every day anew.
They had a severe injury in the power building, and they knew they would experience a surprise every day.
Therefore, the damage to the underground was also important.
It created something that was not on a solid cliff. "
So Hamas is deterred?
"Deterrence is something that is in people's heads. I prefer the term interests. Hamas can use force at any moment, from balloons to missiles. It chooses not to do so. Not forever, of course, but it does buy us more time. "
The importance of powerful backup
Along with the internal issues that concern the defense establishment, Iran is also not getting off the ground, especially after it seemed that the renewal of the agreement with it was around the corner.
In Heiman's view, the West's agreement with the Iranians is not a matter of black and white, and should be re-examined every day.
"At any point in time, things should be examined according to the data before us. And what does Iran have at the moment? According to Defense Minister Bnei Gantz, Iran already has more than 50 kilograms of enriched uranium to 60 percent.
This is when one bomb requires 42 kg. They have passed the amount of fissile material sufficient to form a first bomb. That is, the situation that was supposed to be at the end of the nuclear agreement period is less bad than it is now, , That the agreement did not allow her to do.
"So my conclusion is that in the reality that there is now, an agreement is a very true thing. It will deduct and reset the amount of enriched material that Iran has, roll it back, and buy you a very long time, because enrichment takes a long time. During this time many other things can be done: threatening "Improve military capabilities, build international coalitions or create the infrastructure for an additional nuclear agreement, for the period after the current agreement."
Was that your position as head of the Armed Forces as well?
"No. Therefore, I emphasize that my position concerns the current point in time. With the beginning of President Biden's tenure, Iran was ready to return to the agreement signed in 2015, but under exactly the same conditions. "The problem was that between 2016 and 2021, situations arose on the ground, a new reality was created and it must be addressed. That is what we told the Americans and the Americans told the Iranians. In 2021, it is impossible to return to the reality of 2015 as it is."
Closure.
The coffin of the late Baumel, Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO
What is your position on removing the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terrorist organizations?
"To me, this is a move that is more symbolic than substantive. It has no meaning in reality, as long as Quds Force is defined as a terrorist organization. It is the real essential thing."
What should be done assuming there is no nuclear agreement?
"A non-consensual reality requires a new regional and international strategy, with components of the IDF's military force building, international coalitions and settling matters with the United States, which is first and foremost our capabilities. Therefore, it is important to preserve the United States with us."
I mean, is this not a problem we can solve on our own?
"For such a big move you should have the backing of a force, even if you have the operational capability. The comparison to the mines in Syria and Iraq is not correct. It is something much more dramatic. Military action can be taken, but it should be a last resort and not a first. It".
Is it true that the government pledged to the US to refrain from taking action against Iran's nuclear facilities during the talks?
"I do not recognize such an undertaking."
Finally, I am interested in your opinion on the treatment of the IDF by the public.
"As a senior officer, I was in a discussion at the Kirya that dealt with this issue, and the atmosphere was a change in public attitude. On the way home, I stopped in uniform to eat falafel in Netanya. The respect, love and hug I received there, like a soldier returning from the battlefield Me that there is still appreciation and trust of the people in the IDF.
Sometimes we inflate side effects.
All my life I have been proud of my uniform and I think so is most of the public. "
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