State Comptroller Slams Netanyahu for Failure to Formulate National Security Concept

State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman published a scathing report on Tuesday criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and successive Israeli governments for failing to develop and approve an official national security concept, a deficiency he says contributed directly to the October 7 disaster

.According to the report, the Hamas attack exposed a long-standing systemic failure: for decades, Israeli governments “did not fulfill their responsibility to ensure that the State of Israel is prepared for changing security challenges based on a systematic, updated, and officially approved national security concept.” Engelman noted that while other Western countries have such doctrines, Israel has never formally approved one since its founding.

Netanyahu “Did Not Finish What He Started”

Engelman singled out Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating that although he initiated work on a national security concept between 2017–2018, he failed to complete it or bring it for government approval.

“The Prime Minister did not bring about the adoption of a binding decision regarding the cornerstone of the concept’s implementation — a change in national priorities and significant budget increases to security needs,” the report said. “He did not fulfill his responsibility, and his concept remained without binding force.”

Criticism of the National Security Council

The Comptroller also directed sharp criticism toward the National Security Council (NSC), asserting that since its founding in 2008, none of its heads had presented an updated security concept to the Security Cabinet for discussion and approval.
As a result, Engelman wrote, the political echelon’s ability to guide the IDF strategically was “deficient to non-existent.”

He emphasized that 72 years have passed since Israel last formulated a national security doctrine, originally drafted by David Ben-Gurion. Netanyahu’s 2018 “National Security Concept 2030” presentation to the cabinet was never formally approved, leaving the document without official validity.

“The IDF Planned According to Its Own Understanding”

Due to the absence of a guiding doctrine, Engelman said the IDF and security agencies effectively operated without strategic direction.
He cited the multi-year plan initiated by former Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, noting that it “was not based on an official national security concept that should serve as a compass for long-term strategic vision.”

The report concludes that the assumptions of both political and military leaders collapsed ahead of October 7. Both Netanyahu and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared in the months prior that Hamas was deterred and not seeking war. Similar assessments were made by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and former intelligence chiefs Aharon Haliva and Aviv Kochavi.

Comptroller’s Recommendations

Engelman urged that the Prime Minister and Cabinet lead a process to draft and approve an official written national security concept, to be updated periodically and published publicly (subject to confidentiality).
The NSC would be responsible for reviewing and recommending updates to the policy over time.

“Leadership must make decisions and manage risks through orderly processes that begin with the approval of a national security concept,” the report stated.

Eisenkot: “A Serious Deficiency"

War Cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot, responding to the report, said:

“The absence of a national security concept is a serious deficiency and an escape from responsibility by the country’s leadership over the years.
I saw firsthand the enormous gap in the quality of thinking, planning, and execution at the national strategy level.”

Eisenkot added that he and MK Yuli Edelstein have advanced legislation requiring future governments to present and approve a national security strategy within their term.

“A security concept and its implementation are Israel’s insurance policy. Improvisations are a disregard for the lives of all of us. We will fix that too,” Eisenkot said.