The Bridging the Fractures conference is hosted by the Yedioth Ahronoth Group in collaboration with sponsors
Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi, founder of Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), addressed the Israeli crisis in light of recent years' events during the conference held by Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday.
"We have placed a strategic assessment on the government's table, stating that we are heading towards war and that there are significant threats," Avivi noted.
Bridging the Fractures conference
(Photo: Central Productions)
"Before the judicial reform, we warned that a lack of resilience and unity endangers our security and very existence."
Avivi added: "October 7 was a massive crisis, but also an opportunity to build true unity in the nation. Unity begins with loving your own people. The real issue is that we have forgotten who we are. In every national story, there is a hero and a villain.
"They are trying to turn us into the villains of the story, but we are the heroes. When every Jew remembers that we are truly an amazing nation, that will be the foundation for unity. The key is to return to our Jewish-Zionist ethos. There is much to discuss, but you cannot even begin that conversation if you are alienated from your identity."
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Addressing the issue of military service in the IDF, Avivi said: "I think a lot about the day after this war. What kind of exemplary society are we going to build here? This society must be built on very significant foundations. The first— a serving society. In the Jewish people, everyone must serve the country. Everyone. In the education system, there is no mission called 'building an ethos,' and that is precisely what the education system should do.
"I have given lectures to high school students and pre-military academy students. The moment you start talking to them about Zionism, people wake up and feel inspired."
Regarding the consequences of the war and U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for his country to take control of the entire Gaza Strip and remove its residents, Avivi said: "We suffered a devastating blow on October 7.
"But from that moment on, we are in a process that will change our reality for generations. This defining moment, with Trump being elected, provides an additional significant push.
"The military will have new leadership with a new spirit, and with this, we are clearly moving in a direction that can ensure Israel’s security for generations. We must achieve absolute victory."
"Even before the war, every survey conducted in Palestinian society in Gaza showed staggering percentages of people who wanted to emigrate but were simply not allowed to. They closed the border and didn’t let them leave. In Ukraine, even during the war, eight million Ukrainians left their country.
"The Palestinians, however, were left inside a war zone, forced to stay. The so-called 'enlightened world' that claims 'we need to take care of them' doesn’t actually care. It wants to keep them stuck in Gaza’s misery.
All President Trump needs to do is simply insist on opening the border and giving people the opportunity for a better life."
The Bridging the Fractures conference is organized by the Yedioth Ahronoth Group in collaboration with sponsors