Reclaiming Israel’s Offensive Doctrine

Dr. Raphael Ben-Levy argues that Israel is making a fatal mistake in calling for peace with undefeated enemies and must return to its earlier, successful realist security doctrine, which was largely abandoned starting in the late 1980s. This doctrine, which led to great successes for the first four decades of the state, rests on three core pillars: achieving decisive victory in every round of war fighting as a prerequisite for peace, adopting a tactically offensive approach (including preemption and taking territory), and maintaining complete self-reliance rather than depending on foreign forces like UNIFIL. While Israel appears to have returned to this offensive approach in the northern sector by maintaining buffer zones and acting preemptively, Ben Levy warns that a decisive victory has not yet been achieved against Hamas in Gaza, and Israel should be skeptical of relying on any international force to disarm the organization.

The full interview took place on Channel I24, on November 3, 2025.