"The October 7 disaster could have been avoided": The IDF decision that came three years too late | Avi Ashkenazi

A column by Avi Ashkenazi criticizes the organizational culture in the IDF and security establishment, arguing that a decision by generals Nadav Lotan and Shlomi Binder, if made three and a half years ago, could have prevented the October 7 disaster or improved preparedness. The author points to arrogance, lack of humility, and absence of genuine investigation as core problems, deeper than what Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warns about.

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warns about commanders who do not question, but the column argues that the required change in the IDF is much deeper: a culture of humility, responsibility, criticism, genuine investigation, and listening to voices from below. The author, Avi Ashkenazi, criticizes the flawed organizational culture in the IDF and security bodies, pointing to arrogance as the greatest sin. He claims that a decision by generals Nadav Lotan and Shlomi Binder, if made three and a half years ago, could have prevented the October 7 disaster or improved preparedness. The column emphasizes the need for decisions based on professionalism, not politics, and for genuine learning and investigation.

"The October 7 disaster could have been avoided": The IDF decision that came three years too late | Avi Ashkenazi