The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have mandated complete coaching in Arabic language and Islamic research for all troopers and officers inside its intelligence wing. This vital coverage shift, confirmed by the Jerusalem Put up, is a direct response to the intelligence failures noticed across the October 7, 2023, assaults.
The brand new curriculum is designed to considerably improve the analytical energy of Israel’s Navy Intelligence Directorate, or AMAN. By subsequent 12 months, 100% of AMAN personnel will probably be skilled in Islamic Research, and 50% will probably be skilled within the Arabic language.
This system has been commissioned by AMAN head Main Basic Shlomi Binder. The coaching program may even contain superior coaching particularly dialects, together with Houthi and Iraqi, to beat previous challenges intelligence personnel have skilled in decoding communications, reportedly exacerbated by use of the gentle narcotic qat, frequent in Yemen and different Arab nations, which distorts speech readability.
The pressing requirement for this improve was defined to Military Radio by a high-ranking AMAN officer: “Till now, now we have not been ok in issues of tradition, language, and Islam. We must be higher in these areas. We is not going to make our intelligence officers and troopers into Arab kids who grew up in a village, however via language and tradition research, we will make them uncertain and observant.”
In response to this strategic revamp, Military Radio’s navy correspondent Doron Kadosh has reported that the IDF is establishing a brand new division solely for Arabic and Islamic research inside the intelligence equipment. As well as, the IDF is about to reopen TELEM, an workplace as soon as closed for budgetary causes, which advances the examine of Arabic and the Center East in Israeli center faculties and excessive faculties. Its reopening goals to undo the steep drop in personnel’s abilities for talking Arabic.
This focussed effort highlights Israel’s dedication to enhance its cultural and linguistic data of the realm as an necessary a part of its nationwide safety technique.