The 2025 Annual Conference on Security and Democracy
● By invitation only ●
● Live streamed on the Israel Democracy Institute website ●
● Held in Hebrew ●
Summary: Annual Security and Democracy Conference 2025
IDI's Center for Security and Democracy, under the leadership of Dr. Eran Shamir Borer, convened its annual conference on November 25 and 26, 2025, providing a forum for in-depth discussions on issues that lie at the intersections between national security, democracy, society and the law.
The first day of the Conference focused on matters of internal security, including the presentation of a special IDI survey on internal security, examining, among many other things, public trust in Israeli police and law enforcement post-October 7th. Some of the main topics discussed included the rise of private firearms, police and protesting, and efforts to combat crime. Through firsthand testimonies, new research, and candid debates among senior officials, scholars, and policymakers, the sessions explored the fragile relationship between internal security, civil resilience, and democratic governance at a moment of profound national crisis.
In reference to the findings of the survey presented at the Conference, Dr. Yael Litmanovitz, Senior Researcher for IDI's Center of Security and Democracy, reflected on Israelis' views around the politicization and low public trust of the police, saying they're unprecedented. "The police used to be above politics, this is very important for their ability to maintain public safety and public trust in the long run.”
Shiran Ohana, Community Director of Israel National Authority for Community Safety in Sderot, recounted the morning of October 7th from inside a city that became one of the attack’s early epicenters, discussing the psychological toll on youth, including rising violence, sexual exploitation, and bullying. She spearheaded the innovative multi-agency safety model, including 24/7 parent patrols, coordinated street-level teams, and a citywide digital protection system. Sderot, she emphasized, has become a national model for community resilience, proving that “without social recovery, there is no national security.”
MK Mansour Abbas, Chairman of Ra’am (the United Arab List), offered a candid and politically significant account of how Arab political participation has been reframed in recent years, while also sharing a message of hope: "People said, after October 7th, no government will be formed in partnership with an Arab party. I say the opposite, specifically after October 7th; specifically in light of the experience we had; specifically because the two societies proved themselves despite the challenges, the bond is stronger than we thought."
Deputy Commissioner (ret.) Efrat Attholz-Merom, former senior commander in the Israel Police, described the current moment as a deep and chronic crisis in public trust, noting, "Public trust in the police is the best predictor of social stability. And in light of the challenges we have faced, we must examine our actions."
Tomer Lotan, former Director General of the Ministry of Internal Security and IDI visiting senior fellow, shared concerns about public trust in police, but warned that the language we use on the topic matters: "The expression 'Ben-Gvir's police' only fuels distrust, it does not help it… There are excellent police officers, and when we say this to them, we are essentially telling them: you've surrendered, you have no backbone…If we believe the police are being politicized, we should talk about the issue itself. When we use the expression [Ben Gvir's Police], we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater, only contributing to these trends instead of contending with them."
Major General (res.) Yair Golan, Chair of the Democrats Party and former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff, addressed the need for a proper state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures. public support for such a commission, he argued that only a formal, independent body can investigate failures of this magnitude, saying under a new government, "We will ignore the conclusions [of the current government's proposal] and establish a genuine state commission of inquiry with a defined mandate to investigate the diplomatic and military failures that led to October 7."
The second day of the Conference focused on the IDF and national security, including a , which assessed, among other things, public trust in the IDF. The main topics discussed included accountability for the failures of October 7 and the IDF’s deep structural challenges: an overstretched reserves model, the political fight over ultra-Orthodox conscription, and the danger of creeping politicization within the military itself. Throughout, speakers warned that without restoring professional norms, reinforcing democratic oversight, and addressing manpower shortages, Israel’s long-term security and social cohesion will remain at risk.
In Dr. Eran Shamir, Director of IDI's Center for Security and Democracy's, words, "today we focused on the IDF and other national security challenges, and sometimes tensions between democracy and security," and he emphasized the importance of having diverse voices at the table (as was done during the conference) sharing different opinions and policies regarding this very tension.
Similar to others who addressed the topic on Day 1, MK Yair Lapid, Opposition Leader and Former Prime Minister expressed concerns about the government's planned mechanism to investigate the failures of October 7, saying, “In the first month of the next government, with all the designated parties, we will establish a State Commission of Inquiry in the proper way. We will go to the Court; to the Honorable Chief Justice Amit, and ask him to appoint a State Commission of Inquiry…That is how you establish a commission: the government decides, and the President of the Supreme Court determines the composition. What the government is doing now is like a burglar breaking into your home. I do not cooperate with illegal activity. The government has no authority to investigate itself for what happened on its watch.”
Lt. Gen. (Res.) Gadi Eizenkot, Chair of Yashar! was also quite critical of the coalition – in this case, in terms of their approach to the "day after" plan: "What we see is that the government of Israel has not succeeded in turning the military achievements into regional achievements. The 20-point plan was forced on Israel after a foolish strike in Qatar; Israel finds itself at a point of vulnerability. There is an event here that has not existed since the establishment of the state, in which the State of Israel is abandoning security, and in effect the security responsibility is passed to the United States — almost an American mandate in Gaza."
Ambassador of Germany to Israel Steffen Seibart, spoke about Germany's view of the government's initiatives that undermine democracy in Israel, while affirming the country's commitment to Israel and the values the two countries shared: "The way you organize the judicial system, the role that you give to the Attorney General - these are, in essence, domestic questions. What is not purely domestic is the question of whether the values of liberal democracy that unite us are in any way in danger. I’m not taking a side here, but I am defending Germany as a friend of Israel that has said for decades, we’re a friend of Israel not only for historical reasons, but also because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East."
The Ambassador also called for a distinction in how Israelis receive valid criticism of Israel, versus antisemitism:
“Yes, some of the criticism of Israel is coming from antisemites. There's a horrible new wave of antisemitism that now dares to show its face. It's poisonous, and we should be very clear about that. But it’s not all coming from antisemites. A lot is coming from people who say that this is not the conduct of war that I want to see from a state we are friends with or to be responsible for. I think it makes sense for the Israeli side to engage in a conversation with these types of people.”
As presented during the conference, 81% of Jewish Israelis think the government must take into consideration the burden on reservists in their decisions about the war. Shvut Raanan, Co-founder, IDF Reservists' Wives Forum, is one of those Israelis: "We feel the burden in our hearts, in our pockets, and in the mental state of our partners in reserve duty when there is no horizon and we are continually exploited. If alongside the mandatory reserve call-ups there is no new social contract, and no strategic solution for Israel’s new reality, then we have accomplished nothing."
Noam Tibon, Former Commander, Northern Corps who is known for his heroism at Nahal Oz on October 7, shared his insights from that day: “Anyone who saw the images from Sderot in the early hours of October 7 understood that something different was happening—systematic murder—and yet this was not translated into the moral dimension, nor into the military dimension. The IDF as a military system— not at the level of the individual soldiers—did not strive to put an end to this terrible phenomenon of people being murdered in their homes."
The conference convened at a pivotal point for Israel's national and internal security – in the midst of a shaky ceasefire, with unprecedented rates of crime in the Arab sector, elections on the horizon, and with a public divided on how to address key issues. IDI continues to bring together past, present and future leaders of the country, to debate the most important issues facing Israeli society, promote dialogue among decision makers, and chart a safer, more secure path forward for all Israelis.
Photos are courtesy of Oded Karni.
Quotes were lightly edited for clarity.
