1
About five months after the establishment of the state, David Ben-Gurion ordered the dismantling of the Palmach headquarters. The strike forces were established in May 1941 as a response to a possible invasion of Nazi forces into the land of Israel. The unit's soldiers carried out many bold operations until, with the establishment of the state and the founding of the IDF, they gained special status. Ben-Gurion wrote, "The Palmach is a private, partisan and sectarian army."
Kibbutz members and representatives of Mapam strongly opposed the move, and Ben-Gurion defined it as "a danger to the integrity of the state, the greatest danger that has arisen since the state was established." This is the famous statist approach of the "old man." Ben-Gurion was not a great democrat, but his opponents in Mapam held totalitarian perceptions approaching support for pro-Soviet policies.
2
75 years have passed. Descendants of that avant-garde are currently working to preserve their power both in the Shin Bet and in the IDF's special units, whose graduates consider themselves an "order" that undermines the authority of the elected government even at the cost of dismantling society and defaming Israel and IDF soldiers worldwide. They use the democratic idea as a kind of material that can be molded according to their needs.
Historical irony is that those who pretend to speak in the name of liberalism and civil rights support the secret police chief's refusal to resign against an elected government and in fact, strengthen a new "generals' rebellion," similar to the generals' rebellion in the early days of the state.
3
The exposure of recordings of the conversation between the head of the Jewish Department in the Shin Bet and the commander of the Central Unit of Judea and Samaria Avishai Mualem by Ayala Hasson should shake the foundations of the state! The Shin Bet official speaks in a degrading manner about people of its own nation, pioneers of the mountain ridge, shepherds and farmers, many of whom went out to defend the southern and northern borders in the current war. These young people sacrifice themselves to protect the homeland against the Palestinian Authority's takeover of areas vital to our security. In his conversation, the head of the Jewish Department sounds like someone who is not bothered by their arrest without evidence and urges the commander of the Central Unit of Judea and Samaria to act like him, without trial. The police officer refused. Is it a coincidence that we heard about his arrest afterward?
4
The "conception" that accompanied the Shin Bet's activities for years saw the pioneers of our people as the problem and not the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Even in the Shin Bet report on the October 7 events, certain actions, such as ascending to the Temple Mount, were mentioned as triggering terrorism. The conception of most Shin Bet chiefs supported the establishment of a Palestinian state. The assumption was that we are facing a rational entity that prefers quiet and livelihood over killing Jews. Perhaps that is the reason why the Shin Bet chief did not call the prime minister on the night of October 7 to warn him. Did he fear a provocation on our part – in the form of raising our soldiers' alert level – that would ignite the field?
It's worth seeing who supports the secret police to understand how far the politicization of the organization has spread. In the face of covert and overt threats toward the elected government and the state's citizens, we must not blink. Ronen Bar should be removed from his position, and the next Shin Bet chief should be appointed from outside the organization's DNA. It's also important to close the Jewish Department in the Shin Bet; whoever will handle crime and disturbances in Samaria and Judea is the organization responsible for it throughout the country – the police.
5
Thus, during the years, far from the public eye, an army within an army was created. Now it's exposed. These are historic days in which not only the Middle East is changing but also Israeli society. Before our eyes, shifts are taking place in unelected power centers. The head of an organization is an appointed official, like the attorney general and additional officials who forget the hierarchy. Now, they hold onto the horns of the altar and signal to the Supreme Court to keep them in place. This won't last forever. For years, we were few among those warning about the system's rot; now the entire public is watching and understanding. These birth pangs will strengthen Israeli democracy and bring about the participation of additional audiences in the power centers, no less good. "It is no dream."
