In August 1953, a new military unit raided al-Bureij camp in Gaza in response to murderous attacks on Ashkelon and the western Negev. It waged a dramatic battle deep inside Gaza, eliminating dozens of terrorists and leaving panic and shock in the ranks of the enemy.
This was one of the first operations of the legendary Unit 101, which numbered only 50 fighters. Later it was merged into the 890th Battalion and shaped the Paratroopers Brigade, but in the few months that it operated, the 101st changed the face of the IDF and the State of Israel for several decades. Time and time again, she led painful operations deep in enemy territory, in retaliation for Palestinian infiltrations and terror from the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria, which even then tried to wipe out the entire State of Israel.
But most important of all is the path paved by 101, alongside the consciousness it formed, in them and in us. This path caused the enemy to fail for decades, while here the operating method, mentality and spirit of the paratroopers were nurtured, and then the spirit of the IDF and the entire country. It is a mentality of daring, attacking, decisive, winning, and yes - a willingness to absorb losses in order to achieve the goal. The formative weeks in which we are now must return us to this perception and spirit – in the IDF, in the leadership and in Israeli society as a whole.
IDF soldiers near the fence with Gaza, photo: AFP
Defense Minister Galant in conversation with Yahalam fighters: "Promoting revolutionary solutions for destroying the tunnels in Gaza", Photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense
Documentation of the forces' activity inside the Gaza Strip, photo: IDF Spokesperson
It was in this spirit that the brilliant offensive was conducted in Operation Kadesh, followed by the unprecedented victory in six days in June 1967. Thus the hostages were liberated from Entebbe and Sabena, the trend in the Yom Kippur War reversed within two weeks, until the crossing of the Canal and the threat to Cairo and Damascus. Thus the siege of Beirut succeeded, and the PLO was expelled from Lebanon in 1982.
But something fundamental has gone wrong since then. The spirit of the IDF and our security doctrine have been neutered. A mental process took place in the political, military and cultural elite of the State of Israel, resulting in the catastrophe of October 7. These elites were crippled by weakness, and therefore invented for themselves geopolitical concepts, doctrines of warfare, and the use of forces detached from reality. The operational eclipse of the top echelons of the IDF and the Shin Bet, which led to the Black Sabbath catastrophe, was born out of the same new mindset that has been built and nurtured in recent decades.
The path of deterioration is known and sharp, even if there are those who are still trying to deny it and shape a new false narrative: the Jibril deal in 1985, the wretchedness of the response at the beginning of the first intifada, the Oslo process, the shameful flight from southern Lebanon, the so-called "disengagement," the Shalit deal, our lax conduct in Judea and Samaria and along the borders. All these stemmed from the loss of faith in the ability of society and the army to cope and paved the way for disaster. They stemmed from moods that emerged among far-left intellectuals, but over the years conquered the main decision-makers.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Photo: AP
A particularly sad example is that of Ariel Sharon, who founded and commanded 101, but later caused and led to the disengagement disaster, for which we pay today. Beyond his dark motives, it is clear that something went off in Sharon, and probably also in Yitzhak Rabin, who, because of the great pessimism he projected about the resilience of the people and the army, surrendered to the leaders of the Oslo madness.
Victory image and staging
One of the main poisoners of consciousness was Dr. Shimon Naveh, who, in parallel to Oslo, castrated the minds of senior officers for about a decade. Naveh is responsible for expressions such as "burning the mind" instead of "victory", "blows of fire" and "rampage" instead of decisiveness, and much more. His inventions conformed to the perception of the Oslo thinkers, with Shimon Peres at their head. According to them, the era of decisive victory on the battlefield is over, the territory no longer matters, the armies have no meaning. From now on, demilitarization is required - the design of the "Peace Army".
Another major consciousness poisoner is Brigadier General Eibel Giladi, who conceived, while still in uniform, the plan that created Gaza's terrorist state – the "Disengagement." Giladi, as head of the IDF's planning division, devised a plan called "Stabilizing Phase," which included withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and most parts of Judea and Samaria, because the Oslo process had failed. The reason, you won't believe it, is "to give the Palestinians an achievement that they will have something to lose."
Anti-disengagement demonstrators are evacuated from the road, Photo: Reuters/Archive
Giladi formulated the concept of "disengagement" and the catastrophe that Sharon and Olmert planned to cause in Judea and Samaria: "convergence." According to him, the days of victory and victory are over, all that remains is "an image and a staging of victory." In a 2005 interview, he mused: "What is a decision, who will you decide, the Palestinian people... So what, Hamas will have another thousand rifles - so there will be. That's not what's relevant right now." In the same breath, he explained that in Gaza they only want development and prosperity, and we will collect the guns later. The sequel and result are known.
Legend of the Smart Little Army
As part of this spirit of evil, the concept of a "smart little army" was nurtured, because in the imaginary Middle East they drew for us, there is no need for significant armor, infantry and artillery units. After all, there are no more ground maneuvers, no victory and no victory. This army was invented by Dan Shomron, but Ehud Barak, Shaul Mofaz, Gadi Eisenkot, Aviv Kochavi and others supported and promoted it with both hands. Benny Gantz, as chief of staff, also preached a "smart little order" and implemented all the mistakes of the destructive concept.
The result was the abolition of divisions, brigades, artillery battalions, the cessation of the acquisition of modern tanks and armored personnel carriers. The IDF hardly bought them. Not to mention the self-propelled guns, which have not been replaced since 1973 and are still firing today in Gaza.
IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip, photo: AP.
The next stage after the maneuver - raids and attacks inside the Gaza Strip. IDF forces during the fighting, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Air support for ground forces has also been degenerated, such as squadrons that were in the process of total extinction. Everything that wins the war now, what wins every war, doesn't count. Instead, insane sums were invested in the miserable fence, an exaggerated defense missile system, fighter jets, submarines, precision munitions and commando units. At the same time, the possession of weapons and ammunition has been neglected, in a manner that will be exposed and shocked by future commissions of inquiry.
Out of this mindset, compulsory service was reduced in a way that cut the regular army and reserve forces in a criminal manner, certainly relative to the population. Hence the luxury of enabling entire divisions of young Haredim to evade and receive huge budgets of support. To keep infantry and armored divisions in ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, instead of putting entire brigades out of them and purchasing tanks, artillery and rifles instead of supporting them. This trend has become more extreme recently, but it has characterized all governments of the past generation and a half, on all sides of the map.
On October 7, it became horrifyingly clear how much the application of these spirits and concepts endangers our very existence. Like the self-deception about the nature of the Palestinian national movement, from Hamas to Fatah, so too is the lie of the security concept and the army with which we have whipped ourselves. The forces in Gaza are required to do the exact opposite of what they preached to us for 40 years – they must attack, decide, win. Smash the enemy on really, not stage a victory. And we need a lot more of them, otherwise we won't be able to continue living here.
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