From Bill obliging formulation of national security strategy passes preliminary reading
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A bill obliging every Israeli government to formulate a national security strategy passes a preliminary reading 49-0 in the Knesset plenum.
The bipartisan bill — sponsored by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) — would require the National Security Council to formulate a national security strategy in consultation with the ministries of foreign affairs and defense, intelligence agencies and other relevant government bureaus.
The proposed strategy document — which would have to be approved by the government within 150 days of its formulation and be updated regularly — would identify Israel’s national security challenges and establish its strategic goals, and provide a “critical assessment” of the country’s existing national security strategy.
“The law obliges every government, upon its establishment, to determine and institutionalize the principles and rules of Israel’s national security. In this way, both the Knesset’s ability to supervise the government, and the government’s responsibility and commitment to its citizens in security matters will be expanded,” the National Unity party tweets following the vote.
“After more than a year of strenuous fighting and under tremendous security challenges, the importance of this arrangement, for national security and resilience, is clearer than ever.”
