The 2006 war was a wake-up call for which Israel paid a relatively low price, and in that context, should be seen as a gift. The unbelievable situation in which local authority heads were seen fleeing their communities and shirking their responsibilities to residents, the central government avoided declaring a special situation in the Home Front for financial reasons, the Israel Defense Forces behaved as if the Home Front was none of its concern, and government ministries acted out of sync while holding others responsible has resulted in significant change.
The list of changes made is almost endless. The entire Israeli Air Defense Command has been revolutionized: The Iron Dome and David's Sling defense systems were developed and have proven their worth over the last four rounds of fighting in the Gaza Strip, as well as countless other incidents on all fronts.
Fields of responsibility were also defined: It was made clear to mayors and local authority heads that they were responsible for what happened in their cities and that all other officials are supposed to support them both in routine and emergency times.
Within this framework, the IDF's Home Front Command deepened its relationship with local authorities. Every authority now has an individualized file and participates in annual exercises. Additionally, the Defense Ministry's National Emergency Management Authority, established following the failures of that war, is supposed to streamline operations in routine but primarily emergency times.
Yet while our responses have improved dramatically since 2006, so too has the threat grown. Israel is threatened by over 100,000 missiles and rockets from Lebanon, tens of thousands of missiles and rockets from the Gaza Strip, and a large number of various types of missiles and rockets from more distant countries like Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. Faced with this threat, the public must know the truth: Existing systems do not and will not have the ability to intercept every single rocket and protect every citizen. In an all-out war, civilians will need to be more disciplined than in the past. They will need to stock up on water and food and spend prolonged periods of time in safe rooms. Those who don't will put their lives at risk.
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