Israeli writer Yigil Levy believes that the attack of last October 7, carried out by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), was a major surprise to the leaders of the Israeli army, but for him it is an inevitable result for the army, which is accustomed to a policy of deterrence that is supposed to deprive the Palestinians in Gaza of Their right to respond and fight, in addition to the massive dependence on technology, and the desire to perpetuate the status quo as the only one available and desirable.
Levy, a specialist in relations with the Israeli army and society, added that all of these factors could explain the military failure of the Israeli army on October 7.
Levy speaks in his book (They Shoot, They Do Not Cry: The New Militarization of Israel in the Two Thousand Years) – which was published in February 2023 – about a phenomenon that may have led to this failure, which is the demographic change that occurred within the army, as the old middle class withdrew in the cities and settlements. Working from the ranks of the army, they were replaced by new groups of settlers, religious Jews, and immigrants from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia.
As the new groups reached senior leadership positions, the way was paved for the complete removal of political discourse from the agenda and its replacement with a military agenda. Religious veterans provided a system of religious justifications for the use of violence, and the use of force became an end in itself throughout the military.
Disobedience within the army
The current war has put the relationship to the test, but without losing the confidence of the Israeli public in the military institution. Large segments of this public believe that it is possible to subjugate Gaza militarily, and this is only hindered by some international pressures, and it may later be hampered by internal pressures from the families of the detainees.
As for the military model, it is still holding on and has not collapsed yet – according to Levy – and it is not an offer for the army to request additional funding in the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars to patch up its strength and adapt itself to the new situation.
Levy believes that the army views the Palestinians as legitimate targets simply because they are present in what he calls a “sterile area,” under the pretext that it ordered them to leave it, and this also explains the high level of friendly fire casualties in the Israeli army.
This speech glorifies the use of force, but the state of disobedience within the army may increase the need for the political echelon to force it to resort to another solution.
The phenomenon of unprecedented disobedience has become stronger among Israeli soldiers, some of whom document their disobedience with pictures, such as stealing and looting Palestinian homes, but the military establishment is not trying to address the issue, because it focuses its priorities on the battlefield, and the central goal now is to maintain a high fighting spirit among the soldiers. The fact that this institution talks about the values of the army and not about the necessity of adhering to military orders explains the extent of the laxity occurring within it.
The end of the war
Yigil Levy believes that ending the war will come from the outside (the United States), but from within Israel, it will not happen unless the price is very high. It is almost impossible for the military establishment to acknowledge the insult it suffered after a few Palestinians shook Israel’s security, so the narrative Victory will continue.
He said that the only pressure on Israel to end its war is the economic losses and the imposition of international sanctions on it, and perhaps a moral price such as genocide charges.
The other option is to exhaust the military path, as this war ends when it becomes clear to everyone that Israel has not succeeded in achieving its declared goals, and that this war cannot achieve victory.
Increasing the costs of maintaining the conflict, exhausting military action, and formulating a credible political alternative may be a turning point, but as long as these conditions are not cumulative, the status quo is easier to maintain than to change, and the rhetoric of militarism supports it.
Levy added that the killing of about 500 Israeli soldiers in the Gaza war, despite the large number, does not raise questions among Israelis, as the current battle has become seen as a battle of fate, not to mention that a large number of the army’s dead come from groups that identify with the extremist agenda, and not It is a coincidence that the media focused on the very high percentage of soldiers descended from settler and religious segments, and these – according to the writer – constitute a potential new political force.