Two challenges now face the State of Israel. The first is military: waging the war against Hamas in Gaza, with all its local, regional and international implications. The second, civilian: to deal with the evacuees, the casualties, the families of the abductees and the fallen, and to plan the rehabilitation of the communities in the envelope.
Hundreds of weapons seized: terrorists planned an even bigger massacre // Photo: Shmuel Buchris
The first mission is entrusted to the best forces in Israel. True, some of them are walking around with the enormous failure of October 7, but from the moment it went into action, the defense establishment is an aircraft carrier that is supposed to successfully deal with the difficult military challenge of Hamas, which for years has prepared itself and Gaza for this ground campaign. A host of surprises will await the IDF in the Gaza Strip, and this is the main reason for the prolonged aerial crushing and the meticulous preparations, which are supposed to transfer the advantage to the Israeli side.
But military activity on the ground is only one side of this campaign. It has several other critical elements, all of which must be preserved in order to succeed in the strategic goal of the war – negating Hamas' military and governmental capabilities. The first is to act in a focused manner in the north, to maintain strong defense and deterrence, and to avoid launching a broad campaign against Hezbollah and Iran.
IDF forces on the northern border, photo: AFP
A parallel effort is supposed to prevent escalation in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem, as well as in the arena of Israeli Arabs. All of these will be directly affected by the images coming from Gaza, but also by the power that Israel will radiate. It will also affect international legitimacy, which is critical for the continuation of the operation, and international public opinion, which will influence world leaderships, especially Washington, whose support is critical for Israel in the political and security aspects (armaments and other military aid, as well as deterring the Iranian axis from expanding the campaign).
The second task, on the other hand, is entrusted to disturbingly weak forces, which operate as part of a broken public management culture that for years has prioritized "our well-being" over professional management. The power wars that have developed within the Prime Minister's Office (between the Director General of the Ministry and Moshe Edri) and between the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Finance (over powers, budgets and responsibilities) show that none of those involved understands the magnitude of the hour. Even now, nine days into the greatest disaster in Israel's history, Jerusalem is busy with too many honors and too little work – a recipe for an ongoing mishap.
The list of issues that need immediate attention is endless, yet they can be distilled into three main heads. The first is the treatment of abductees, who have so far received a partial and stuttering response. The second is dealing with evacuees, for whom there are still more question marks than answers: from problems of supply and equipment and over-reliance on the kindness of philanthropists from the private and business sectors, to questions about how to proceed in terms of housing, education and welfare. The third is the rehabilitation of the envelope, which requires budgets and synchronized and efficient multi-ministerial mobilization.
These two challenges, security and civilian, are the most complex that Israel has known since 1948. Instead of celebrating its 75th year, Israel faces an enormous, unprecedented task that requires the best forces and minds within it.
Unfortunately, it comes to it with too much ego and politics, as evidenced by the fact that the state budget continues on its planned course, with all its wanton coalition funds, instead of changing it immediately and directing these vital billions to security and the civil campaign. Until that happens, Israel will continue to turn out the old, failed way. If it wants to emerge from the worst crisis in its history, it must come to its senses and make amends immediately.
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