Israel makes it mandatory for military officers to study Islam and learn Arabic due to...

The Israel Defense Forces, or the IDF, have made it mandatory for all soldiers and officers working in the intelligence wing to study Islam and train in the Arabic language. The initiative comes in the wake of a major intelligence failure leading up to the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. The new rule aims to strengthen the analytical capabilities of Israel's intelligence staff.

What are the programme details?
As per the report, by the end of 2026, all of AMAN (the Hebrew acronym for Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate) staff will be trained in Islamic Studies and 50 percent of them will have completed Arabic language training. The mandate has been ordered by the chief of AMAN, Major General Shlomi Binder. The programme will reportedly also focus on specialised training in the Houthi and Iraqi dialects as intelligence officials have faced difficulty in deciphering such communications in the past.

What did the Israeli military say?
Speaking of the mandate, a senior AMAN officer told Israeli Army Radio: "Until now, we haven't been good enough in the areas of culture, language, and Islam. We need to improve in these areas. We won't turn our intelligence officers and soldiers into Arab kids who grew up in a village, but through language and cultural studies, we can instill in them doubt and deep observation." The Army Radio's military correspondent Doron Kadosh said a new department will be set to impart Islamic and Arabic education. Reportedly, the IDF is also planning to reopen TELEM, a department meant to promote Arabic and Middle Eastern studies in Israeli middle and high schools. It had earlier been shut down due to budgetary constraints.