The war for Israel’s home
HaBithonistim chairman Erez Winner calls for a return to decisive victory, a larger and more self-reliant IDF, and national service for all Israelis
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Erez Winner, who assumed his position as chairman of HaBithonistim recently, defines the greatest threat to Israel as the ongoing war for their homeland. He claims that hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons are now in the hands of criminal gangs in the Arab sector, which have been smuggled in from Jordan and Egypt or stolen from IDF bases. These weapons, Winner argues, have contributed to the rising violence in Israel over the past years.
Recently, Raed Salah, head of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, brokered a reconciliation between the two largest crime families in the Israeli Arab sector. Winner warns that if Salah can reconcile these two groups, they could be used for other purposes in the future.
He recounts a terror attack in early June, where an Israeli Arab terrorist, armed with a submachine gun, attacked an area and killed and wounded civilians. Winner says this is a small example of what could happen in multiple places at once, using more advanced weapons.
Furthermore, Winner claims the Palestinian Authority is an armed and dangerous group with tens of thousands of personnel. If they decide to launch a war against Israel and join forces with the illegal weapons, it would be a significant existential threat.
Alongside these internal threats, Winner highlights external threats from various countries in the region. He emphasizes that Israel must shift its security doctrine from containment to decisive victory to deter enemies. He gives an example of how Israel's deterrence was demonstrated in the past two weeks, as Iran attacked countries in the Middle East, except Israel.
Winner argues that Israel can achieve both immediate threat elimination and long-term stability by pursuing them together. He criticizes past approaches that assumed giving Arabs more territory, better terms, and permission to do things would lead to peace. Instead, he advocates for a "peace through strength" approach, which has proven effective in recent years.
Winner believes that Israel needs to increase the size of its IDF, improve its capability to defend against drones and autonomous systems, and ensure security sustainability by not being overly dependent on the decisions of one person, government, or administration. He asserts that these measures, combined with the Abraham Accords, can help Israel expand its relationships with other countries in the region.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
