Israel’s most dangerous security threats may not all be coming from outside its borders.
While the world focuses on Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, Israel is also facing a growing internal security challenge: violence, extortion rackets, illegal weapons, land seizures, and organized crime—particularly in parts of the Israeli Arab sector.
In this interview, Colonel Ronen Itsik examines Israel’s internal security paradox. Only around 20% of Israelis reportedly trust the police to deal with everyday crime, while more than 75% trust them to protect the country from terrorism and internal security threats.
Why is confidence in the police so low when their counter-terrorism performance is viewed so positively? Is Israel’s police force equipped to handle a rapidly growing population and increasingly sophisticated criminal networks? Could illegal weapons currently used by criminal groups eventually be turned against Israeli citizens during a national crisis?
Colonel Itsik also discusses the need to strengthen Israel’s police force, the possibility of establishing a National Guard, the dangers of expanding the army’s domestic role, and the lessons of the violent events of 2021.This is the internal security crisis Israel can no longer afford to ignore.
Chapters
01:00 The Security Paradox of the Israeli Police
02:50 Police Performance in Crime and Counter-Terrorism
05:30 How Israel Can Address the Crisis
06:30 Why the Army Should Not Replace the Police
08:50 Israel’s Internal Security Hotspots
11:00 The 2021 Riots and the National-Security Connection
12:40 Why Internal Security Is Now a Major National Task
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