In response to the lessons learned from the October 7th massacre, the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate is undergoing a significant transformation in its training approach.
According to a report by Army Radio, all personnel in the directorate—both soldiers and officers—will now be required to study Arabic and Islam, regardless of whether their positions require knowledge of the language.
A new department dedicated to Arabic language and Islamic studies will be established within the training system. This unit will not only train translators and radio operators but also intelligence analysts, with the goal of ensuring that every brigade and division intelligence officer achieves a high level of Arabic proficiency and gains a deep understanding of Islamic culture.
The curriculum will begin even before enlistment, with Arabic and Islam integrated into pre-military educational programs. These studies will continue through basic training and into advanced courses for officers and career personnel. The target: within a year, all intelligence personnel will be trained in Islamic studies, and at least 50% will receive Arabic language instruction.
As part of this initiative, the IDF is also reopening the Department of Middle Eastern Studies Promotion, which was shut down six years ago due to budget constraints. Operating under Unit 8200, this department will once again support educational outreach in Israeli schools.
Specialized courses in regional dialects—including Houthi and Iraqi Arabic—have also been launched. Intelligence officials note that understanding Houthi communications is especially difficult due to their use of the addictive herbal stimulant khat, commonly used in Yemen. Khat use can cause oral inflammation or even cancer [and at times, death via Israeli airstrike,] which distorts speech and complicates audio analysis.
A senior intelligence officer told Army Radio, “Until now, we have fallen short when it comes to understanding culture, language, and Islam. We must do better. While we can’t turn intelligence officers into native Arabic speakers who grew up in Arab villages, by immersing them in the language and culture, we can cultivate critical thinking and deeper insight.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
because when the lookout soldiers SAW them coming in and were ignored it must be they didnt understand the language. I guess hearing is believing. What they saw for some reason didnt count.
thats nice. cuz on oct 7, the lookout soldiers that saw them coming thru and over the fences didnt hear right? they only saw? and that counted for nothin? and when countless people were being butchered and no one came is that because they didnt understand arabic???
THE REAL LESSON AND MESSAGE DIRECTLY FROM HASHEM OF THE OCTOBER 7TH ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Every tragedy has a wake up call message directly from Hashem that you’re not going to find in any sefer in the world or read in any newspaper from a Gadol Hador or speaker saying about the tragedy. And neither is it from me a Internet businessman writer.
3 SHOCKING MESSAGES that all hit klal yisroel the second the war started
1) Parshas Vayaitzai which talks about Yaakov Avinu traveling from one city to a different city was one of the weeks that was in the midst of The Israel-Gaza war against Hamas terrorists that started on the Yom tov of Shemini Atzeres which is Together with Simchas Torah when in Eretz Yisroel and happened on October 7 2023. When you put the numbers of the date it happened on together you get 107 the word Vayeitzei is Gematria 107. Do you think it’s just a coincidence? We all know the truth that “ there’s no such a thing as coincidence” so what does this have to do in relation to this tragedy happening to klal yisroel? The Hamas terrorists were supposed to on their original plans go to Shuls to shoot on C”V and Hashem did a miracle and sent them to a different city-just like Yaakov Avinu-which happened to be a non frum Simchas Torah festival in a different town. Do you think this is just coincidence or does it come directly from Hashem?
now let’s talk about the 2 sets of jewish dates when it happened on-from how it came out in the hebrew calendar to how October 7th date is read when turned around to hebrew numbers and dates-
2)it happened on the day of Shemini Atzeres, At 6:30am Israel standard time (which means it was the Hebrew date of 1/22 and in America 7 hours earlier it was still 11:30pm on the Hebrew date of 1/21) when the Hamas terrorists secretly snuck into the South border of Israel and Shot over 5000 people and also broke into hundreds of homes and took over a hundred young women and children as innocent captives into Gaza. What was the shocking message from Hashem directly to klal yisroel? Why did Hashem make this happen to klal yisroel Rachmana litzlan? And on such a happy Yom tov of Simchas Torah when klal yisroel is in the middle of the Yom tov of Zman Simchaseinu and Hashem gave an extra day of Shemini atzeres to be attached to Hashem? When this war started-as mentioned earlier it was still כא תשרי that’s makes 121 when you put them together and gives you the chapter of תהלים said in times of Tragedies and repentance begging Hashem to forgive Klal yisroel and to please accept klal yisroel’s serious Teshuva that Hashem is waiting for us to do together as one loving nation so Hashem can send Mashiach already b’karov. Do YOU think this is just a coincidence? Do you think it was just an accident that just happened to come out on this date and also on such a holy Yom Tov of Simcha? And then in a split second to be changed over to a time of instant fear, anxiety and aggravation without even knowing what the next minute will bring?
3)Now lets look at what you get when you turn the numbers of October 7th to the Jewish calendar. What is the jewish date when we look at it from the jewish calender? That’s Yom Kippur, (the 10th day of the 7th month) the holiest day of the year and the day that is set aside for serious Teshuva and fasting. Do you think this is coincidence or is this a direct message from Hashem?
Let us hope that we finally accept Hashem’s wake up call for serious Teshuva and Achdus together as one loving nation so Hashem can send Mashiach already b’karov.
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What about teaching Judaism and Torah to the one million Israeli Jewish kids on Public schools.