IDF Politically Deterred
An opinion piece by Einav Schiff argues that the IDF of 2026 is weak and politically deterred, driven by public and budgetary interests rather than pure security considerations. The article criticizes the perception that the military can prevent "unnecessary wars" and points to the chaos in the West Bank and delays in investigating incidents in Gaza as evidence of the army's weakness.
An opinion piece by Einav Schiff, published on ynet, argues that the IDF of 2026 is a weak and politically deterred body, operating out of public and budgetary interests rather than pure security considerations. The article sharply criticizes the prevailing public and media perception that the military is an apolitical body capable of blocking "unnecessary wars" initiated by the political echelon. Schiff points to the security chaos in the West Bank and the prolonged delays in investigating serious incidents in the Gaza Strip as evidence of the army's political weakness and its tendency to serve public interests of rehabilitating its image after the events of October 7. The article quotes sources in the "defense establishment" who told News 13 that "it is clear to us that there will be those who will want to heat up sectors ahead of the elections" and that "we will not lend a hand to unnecessary wars," interpreting this statement as a distorted picture of democracy. Schiff argues that the army is driven by age-old biases (such as the need for budgets) and deep social processes (demographics, politics), and that the chances of this mix providing protection against unnecessary wars are low.