What the World Is Learning From Israel’s Wars |
In the summer of 2006, Israel absorbed more than 4,000 rockets fired by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. For thirty-four days, the north of the country lived under constant sirens. Families slept in shelters. Cities such as Haifa, Nahariya, and Kiryat Shmona were repeatedly struck. When the fighting ended, 165 Israelis had been killed, including 121 soldiers and 44 civilians. Thousands more were wounded. Among those killed were people I knew personally.
Israel was shaken, but the war ended with a familiar understanding. The fighting had stopped for the moment. It would not be the last time rockets were fired at us.
That reality shapes Israeli thinking. The country has never had the luxury of assuming that hostility will disappear on its own. Several actors across the region have declared openly that Israel should not exist. Israelis take those statements seriously because history has shown that threats against Jews often become actions.
Preparation becomes culture when a society lives under those conditions.
After the 2006 war, Israel conducted painful internal reviews. Military inquiries examined intelligence failures, command problems, and weaknesses in civilian defense. The country rebuilt systems that had proven insufficient. Missile defense programs accelerated. Early warning systems expanded. Civil defense coordination improved. One of the most important outcomes was the rapid development and deployment of the Iron Dome system, which now intercepts rockets aimed at civilian areas.
Israel learned the hard way that resilience must be built before the next attack arrives.
Many countries are now discovering how difficult that lesson can be when preparation was never necessary........