The Israeli government has decided to ease the lockdown in the framework of an exit strategy. This in light of the statistical evidence of improvement in the situation: a decrease in the number of fatalities and contagion, and an increase in the scope of testing. But the Coronavirus crisis is still raging, and on the horizon an additional crisis, no less grave - in the socioeconomic realm.
Parallel to this, there are signs of familiar security threats. The military action by Hezbollah on the northern border (April 18, 2020) damaging the fence in three different spots simultaneously, demonstrates how narrow the distance is between a period of calm and
a state of emergency. At the epicenter is the issue of home front preparedness on the whole, that under circumstances of a security crisis could be far graver than inflicted by the Coronavirus crisis. Prominent in this context, the fact that the IDF is not operating in accordance to an approved multi-year plan, and even American military aid (whose weight is very significant) is not being utilized in the absence (and failure) of decision-making by the government, due to the political stalemate.
The primary national challenge at the present time, which must stand at the core of
a probable new government’s agenda, is to provide comprehensive solutions to the multidimensional crisis in health, the economy, society and safeguard of democracy -and parallel to this, to address the security domain, as well.
The following document focuses on the key challenges and the response to them.