“The most dangerous enemy to Israel’s security — is the mental inertia of those responsible for security.” David Ben-Gurion, 1950

The words of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion about the danger of mental fixation in the security domain resonate well in late 2024. About a year after the greatest security disaster in the state’s history, it seems clear to everyone that every governmental body dealing with Israel’s security is obligated to do everything possible to prevent inertia — or in its current form, “the conception” — from raising its head again. Law and regulations alone cannot guarantee this. However, global experience and lessons from Israel’s past teach us that creating institutional mechanisms for developing structured and critical thinking alongside reporting and feedback mechanisms have great potential to ensure better security preparedness and instill strategic thinking in the security system, which will improve long-term national security and readiness. The bill before you takes a significant and important step in this direction, promoting internal controls, parliamentary oversight, and reliance on legislative models adopted in other countries. In light of the above, we support the bill in all its parts. Below, briefly, we present the rationale for our opinion while highlighting several aspects of the law that should be discussed and considered within the committee’s deliberations.