Tamir Hayman: We should be worried about Israel’s post-Oct. 7 security doctrine

Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, head of the Institute for National Security Studies, warns that a new unofficial Israeli security concept after October 7 has abandoned peace as a goal and embraces unending wars. He cautions that Jewish superiority is becoming a dominant belief and that Israel cannot replace its relationship with the US.

Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, head of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, warns that a new unofficial national security concept has emerged in Israel after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. In an interview on The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus podcast, Hayman argues that peace is no longer the goal in this concept, replaced by openness to unending wars as the best way to guarantee security. He also warns that Jewish superiority is becoming a dominant belief, in violation of Israel's Declaration of Independence. Hayman cautions that Israel has no way of replacing its relationship with the US, not through other countries nor autarky, and sees few paths that don't lead to another military confrontation with Iran. He acknowledges intelligence failures during his tenure as IDF chief of military intelligence, including that Israel never thought Palestinians could lead the Iranian axis and didn't take Hamas's attack plan seriously enough.