On the morning of May 13, 2021, I toured Lod. I was standing inside a preparatory school building that was set on fire by an incited Arab mob. Dozens of meters away from me, a man was stabbed on his way home from the synagogue. An atmosphere of pogrom and lawlessness. The police lost control of the city. Dozens of Jewish families abandoned their homes and property and fled.
A civilian organization of the community in Lod enabled the absorption of hundreds of volunteers who came to assist in patrols and to protect the bodies and property of the city's Jews. Volunteers helped rehabilitate synagogues and educational institutions.
Demonstration in support of terrorists from the Guardian of the Walls in Haifa // Photo: Rashad Omri
The Guardian of the Walls riots inside the State of Israel exposed the weakness of Israeli governance and the inability of the Israel Police to deal with a challenge of local magnitude. More than two years later, and every sensible person understands that Guardian of the Walls 2 is around the corner, and that the likely scenario is that its severity will be many times that of the previous round.
The riots in Sheikh Jarrah during Guardian of the Walls (archive), photo: Reuters
What have we done in the two years since? Is the State of Israel prepared for a scenario of civil uprising within the mixed cities and on the main traffic arteries?
The IDF, which faced limited combat during the operation, understood the challenge and established reserve units to ensure its functional continuity. But what about the residents of Israel, who guarantees our functional continuity?
The National Guard, which was established to respond to the internal threat, is far from living up to expectations. The promises remained empty
The system is at a standstill, and we ignore the warning siren we received. The National Guard, which was established to respond to the internal threat, is far from living up to expectations. In practice, only a few hundred fighters were recruited to its ranks. Election promises to improve personal security remain empty.
The order of the day is the establishment of an operative force to deal with emergency situations as soon as possible. The issue is urgent and acute, but the government is moving slowly and the police are promoting imaginary solutions that are not achievable.
The enormous power of Israeli civil society must be harnessed – to urgently recruit tens of thousands of reservists to the police, to build a competent and competent operative force in a rapid process. During normal times, the fighters will conduct competency training and will act as Border Police volunteers. The move will double their presence in the rural area by hundreds of percent and increase the sense of security. There is a huge motivation to volunteer and guard the house. Many civil society organizations are proving the power of initiative and mutual responsibility. The resilience of Israeli society depends on it.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Photo: AP
And for those who are afraid of "civilian militias," the alternative is simple – anyone who does not establish a state force ready and authorized for the day of order will receive a wanton and borderless clash of civilians, as happened in Paris just two months ago. Whoever sorts, trains, trains and leads a national force will improve our national preparedness for any internal challenge.
The government of Israel - the citizens of the country will not forgive you for the failure to abandon internal security.
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