TransparencyAbuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcement

State Comptroller found Israel went 70+ years without an approved national security policy, leaving officials to improvise before Oct. 7.

Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesIsrael · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel

National Security Council (Israel)

Also named

Oversight

Matanyahu Englman, State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel

What happened

In a special report published November 11, 2025 (the seventh in a series on October 7 failures), State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman found that Israel has never had a formally approved, binding national security concept, forcing political and military leaders to improvise on force structure and multifront readiness. The report says Netanyahu began drafting such a concept in 2017-2018 but "did not complete what he began and did not bring it for approval," and that the National Security Council repeatedly failed to submit an updated policy to the security cabinet. As of the report's publication there had been no response from Netanyahu or the NSC.

Sources (2)

Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of IsraelState Comptroller Englman on the Absence of a National Security Concept: "A Multi-Year Failure"

The Times of IsraelIsrael has operated for more than seven decades without a formally approved national security concept.

Response

Benjamin Netanyahu

No response by publication

Contacted — no response by publication.

National Security Council (Israel)

No response by publication

Contacted — no response by publication.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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