Draft:HaBithonistim

Israel Defense and Security Forum

The Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) is an organization predominantly made up of high-ranking veterans from the Israeli defense system, founded in 2020 at the initiative of Brigadier General (Res.) Amir Avivi. The movement’s goal is to “apply sovereignty, strengthen governance in the Land of Israel, and affirm the State of Israel's right to self-defense within its secure borders.”

active members

Among the activists are the movement's founder, Brigadier General (Res.) Amir Avivi, the CEO of the movement, Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Yaron Buskila, as well as former Member of Knesset and Brigadier General (Res.) Effi Eitam, Major General (Res.) Gershon Hacohen, Major General (Res.) Yiftach Ron-Tal, MK and Brigadier General (Res.) Tzvika Fogel, Major General (Res.) Yitzhak Gershon, Major General (Res.) Eliezer (Cheiny) Marom, Major General (Res.) Dan Biton, Major General (Res.) Kamil Abu Rokon, Major General (Res.) Yossi Bachar, Major General (Res.) Yosef Mishlev, Brigadier General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, Brigadier General (Res.) Oded Tira, Brigadier General (Res.) Avigdor Kahalani, Brigadier General (Res.) Avraham Asael, Brigadier General (Res.) Harel Knfao, Brigadier General (Res.) Ronen Itzik, Brigadier General (Res.) Imad Fares, Brigadier General (Res.) Amatzia Chen, Colonel (Res.) and former MK Moti Yogev, Colonel (Res.) Yehuda Wegman, Colonel Shosh Raban, Commissioner Shlomi Ka’atabi, Commissioner Aaron Axol, Commissioner Danny Chen, Police Brigadier General Dovi Yang, Police Brigadier General Ziva Agami-Cohen, Professor Alexander Bligh, Yoram Ettinger, and Danny Ayalon.

Research

The movement's research department conducts applied research on topics related to Israel's security, aiming to provide the general public and decision-makers with tools to cope with the evolving political-security reality. The research department focuses on the following areas:

• The Palestinian arena: The Palestinian Authority and its impact on Israel's policy, Israel's preparedness for the post-Abu Mazen era, the uprising of young Palestinians and its influence on Israeli Arabs, the reciprocal relations between Palestinian security mechanisms and Israeli security forces.
• Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip: Palestinian control over Area C, the legal status of the territories in Judea and Samaria, the strategic importance of Judea and Samaria as a security asset, enforcement of Israeli law in Areas B and C, with a focus on demolishing illegal structures that establish facts on the ground and compromise the security of local residents and interfere with IDF activities. In Area A of Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, they support military freedom of action, including buffer zones in the Gaza Strip, and full security control allowing free entry to cities in Judea and Samaria, with an extension to all areas within the Gaza Strip following the Iron Dome War.
• Governance and Internal Security: The personal security of Israeli citizens, governance in the Negev and mixed cities, drawing security lessons from the riots in Israel in 2021, and establishing a national guard.
• Iran: The nuclear threat and Israel's response to it, Iranian influence on the geopolitical landscape surrounding Israel.
• The Middle East: Normalization processes and peace agreements between Israel and Arab states, the Sunni-Israeli-American front against Iran.
• The global arena: Relations between Israel and the United States, Israel and Europe, and Israel and China.

Public Activity

Movement members engage with the media by conducting interviews, publish opinion columns in the media and on the movement's website, as well as lecturing in their fields of expertise, such as the history of Israeli warfare, changes in combat frameworks in different sectors, and the ideology in the Arab world.

In 2020, during the discussions on the annexation of Judea and Samaria as part of President Trump's peace plan, representatives of the organization met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, endorsing the annexation initiative proposed by the plan.

Since 2022, the movement has been instrumental in establishing a national guard, in partnership with the Ministry of National Security (previously the Ministry of Internal Security) and the Border Guard. The national guard is set to consist of civilian volunteers with police authority, tasked with maintaining public order. The guard's mission will be to serve as a force capable of providing an initial response at times when public order or the sense of security of Israeli citizens is compromised. Among other activities, the movement has assisted in recruiting the first volunteers for the guard.

In 2023, the movement introduced a podcast series directed by Or Yissachar, the head of its research department, covering topics such as the Gaza Strip, global and local terrorism trends, and the Palestinian Authority.

In February 2023, the movement submitted a petition to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, signed by 17,000 of its members, endorsing his efforts and calling for “an immediate end to the violent and divisive discourse, irrespective of the outcome of the judicial reform.”

On April 2, 2023, the movement organized a rally at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, advocating for the IDF's exclusion from political contention and featuring addresses by retired senior security officials, such as Avigdor Kahalani and Gershon Hacohen.

In May 2023, the "Israel Security Conference" was held in Jerusalem, organized by the IDSF in conjunction with Israel Hayom newspaper.

In January 2024, the "Israel Security Conference - State of War" took place in Ashkelon, an event initiated by the IDSF and co-hosted with the Ynet news portal.

The IDSF Index

The IDSF Index is an ongoing survey conducted within Israeli society that addresses societal, Zionist, and security issues. In 2022, the index focused on governance, national resilience, Zionist values, and the major challenges confronting the State of Israel.

Strategic Assessment

In 2022, the movement released a strategic assessment outlining the threat landscape for the State of Israel. This assessment addresses issues related to Israel's national security in the short to medium and long term, presenting relevant recommendations in light of the stated risks of a war, backed by Iran, in the north and south, and the potential for a multi-front war with Hamas and Hezbollah. Amir Avivi voiced these concerns in one of the Knesset committees. After the surprise attack on Israel and the outbreak of the Iron Swords War in 2023, prior to the ground entry into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with members of the IDSF as an advisory entity, and to discuss future war plans.

Position Papers and Research

The movement has published dozens of position papers and research papers. These include research papers on topics such as the legal handling of stone and Molotov cocktail throwing attacks, the Palestinian Authority's terror financing mechanism, the national ethos crisis in the education system, and the police’s public image and strategies for its improvement.

Budget

The movement's budget relies mainly on donations, predominantly from abroad. In 2022, the organization received approximately NIS 4 million in contributions, with about NIS 771,000 sourced within Israel.

According to reports, a prominent donor is the Central Fund of Israel, an American charity.

www.idsf.org.il

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• Non-profit organizations based in Israel
• Political organizations based in Israel