Conceptualising Security in Israel
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse Israel’s concept of national security. In this framework, it will focus on Israel’s threat perception, at three levels: the threat emanating from the Arab conventional capabilities, from Moslem or Arab non-convent
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Conceptualising Security in Israel Ephraim Kam
19.1
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse Israel's concept of national security. In this framework, it will focus on Israel's threat perception, at three levels: the threat emanating from the Arab conventional capabilities, from Moslem or Arab non-conventional capabilities, as well as from Palestinian or Shiite use of terrorism. The chapter will also make some comments on the Israeli response to the threat. On the background of the changes in Israel's strategic environment, it will refer to recent attempts to redefine its security concept. 19.2
'Hard' and 'Soft' Security Issues
Traditionally, in Israel the concept of national security has referred to the old 'hard' security issues. The new security dimensions -political, economic, societal, environmental or cultural security that have been regarded as 'soft' security issues -are all very important issues by themselves, and undoubtedly affect the traditional hard security problems. 'Soft' security issues are also a part of the peace treaties between Israel and its two Arab neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, as well as of the interim agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. However, in Israel they are perceived as only secondary dimensions, not as an integral part, of the national security concept. Thus, the key terms of Israel's national security concept -the perception of existential threat, deterrence, offence versus defence, maintenance of a qualitative edge, current security, early warning, short wars, transferring the war into the enemy's territory are all taken from the dictionary of 'hard' security issues. Even the reference to some environmental issues is in the context of 'hard' security. When Israelis speak, e.g. on the demographic threat, their concern is not necessarily about pressures of population growth. It is rather on a change of the demographic balance between Jews and Arabs in Israel in favour of
the Arabs, due to the much higher rate of natural growth among the Arabs, which might endanger the future existence of Israel as a Jewish democratic state. There are at least two reasons for that emphasis on 'hard' security issues. First, the Middle East is a very complicated region, which suffers from a multitude of both interstate and intra-state conflicts. In the Middle East there are two major circles of conflicts and instability: the Arab-Israeli dispute and the instability in the Gulf area. During the past two generations each of these circles has produced several major wars. Most Middle East countries suffer from minority problems, which aggravate their security problems. In the Middle East one can find some of the largest armed forces and weapons arsenals. The post-Cold War spirit is not yet prevailing in that region. The rules of the game accepted in the Western world have not yet been accepted in the Middle East where the use of military force is still conceived as legitimate. This characteristic refers not only to the ArabIsraeli conflict, but to inter-Arab or inte
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