Israel’s security doctrine sees Arab states as ‘collections of tribes’, says ex-intelligence chief

Israel’s security policy since the 7 October attacks has been guided by an unwritten “concept” holding that most Arab states “are not genuine nation-states, but collections of tribes and ethnic groups lacking a shared history and a foundational national vision”, a former head of Israeli military intelligence wrote. In a paper published on Monday by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), a think tank based at Tel Aviv University, Tamir Hayman set out 10 principles he said could be inferred from the policy now being implemented. Among them is the assumption that “any arrangement with Arab actors is temporary and deceptive”, and that “peace agreements are merely technical and temporary arrangements requiring constant reassessment”. Hayman, a reserve major general who led the Israeli army’s Military Intelligence Directorate between 2018 and 2021 and is now the institute’s executive director, wrote that this new concept “has not been formally articulated or presented to the public, nor is it bindingly defined within the defense establishment”. “In practice, however, its principles inform decision-making and dictate Israel’s approach to security,” he added. Read more: Israel’s security doctrine sees Arab states as ‘collections of tribes’, says ex-intelligence chief A billboard in Tel Aviv on 26 June 2025 shows Arab leaders with Donald Trump and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, with above the Hebrew slogan "a time for war, a time for settlement; now is the time for the 'Abrahamic Covenant'" (Jack Guez/AFP)