In this episode of the JISS podcast series, Prof. Col. (res.) Gabi Siboni, CEO of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, discussed the insights in his new book, From Canaan, and the urgent security challenges facing Israel.

We began by discussing Prof. Siboni’s new book, which traces his journey from the Canaan neighborhood in Safed, northern Israel, to the heart of Israel’s defense establishment. He shared a profound lesson learned from the grandmothers of Sderot and his own grandmother: Citizenship and military service must be unconditional.

Iran:  The Window of Opportunity

Prof. Siboni framed the conflict with Iran as a battle against an octopus seeking regional and global hegemony. He argued that we are in a rare historical window of opportunity to strike the “head of the octopus”—the regime itself.

• The Nuclear Deal Trap: Siboni warned against new negotiations between Iran and the U.S., stating that Iran is a master negotiator and will only use talks to buy time.
• Regime Change: He contended that bombing alone won’t topple the regime; it requires supporting the Iranian people to rise up, potentially coordinated with strikes on regime symbols and infrastructure.
• Mass Iranian civilian casualties, killed by their own regime: We discussed the staggering reports of some 30,000 Iranian protesters killed, noting the shameful silence in Western capitals.

Gaza:  The 100-Year Problem

On Gaza, Siboni did not mince words. He described the core problem not just as Hamas, but as the Gazan Palestinian society indoctrinated and steeped in jihadist ideology over decades, leading directly to the October 7 atrocities.

• Demilitarization: The clearest way to demilitarize Gaza is for the IDF to physically remove the weapons and tunnels, a process that will take years.
• The “German Precedent” Flaw: Siboni was skeptical about de-radicalizing Gaza based on the post-WWII German model, noting that unlike Germany, Gaza is surrounded by supportive Arab populations and fueled by a deep-seated Islamist ideology. He estimated it would take at least a century to shift the societal mindset.

IDF Reform: Changing the Concept

Finally, we examined the need for a fundamental overhaul of the IDF’s strategic concept. Siboni argued that the IDF must focus on the basics of the military profession, proactively eliminating military threats, and on offensive defense. Eliminating threats immediately as they form. He also called for greater political oversight of the military, and for intellectual pushback against groupthink.