Israel now treats US as ‘declining power’ and war as permanent condition, says former intelligence chief

A former head of Israeli military intelligence has said that since 7 October 2023, Israel has been run by an unwritten security doctrine that writes off the US as a declining power, rejects peace as a strategic goal and makes war a permanent feature of national life. Major General (res.) Tamir Hayman, who now heads Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), sets out the doctrine in a paper the think tank published this week. Hayman says the new concept has never been written down or presented to the public. Even so, it now “inform[s] decision-making and dictate[s] Israel’s approach to security”. He argues the shift goes beyond military planning and points to “a change in Israel’s national identity”. […]