Why Israel Has Made It Mandatory For Military To Study Islam And Learn Arabic

The Israeli Defence Forces have made it mandatory for all soldiers and officers in the intelligence wing to train in Arabic language and Islamic Studies. This initiative comes after an intelligence failure around October 7, 2023, according to the Jerusalem Post.

This new addition to the training aims at strengthening the analytical capabilities of the intelligence staff. By the end of next year, 100 per cent of AMAN (the Hebrew acronym for Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate) personnel will be trained in Islamic Studies and 50 per cent of them will undergo Arabic language training. 

The change has been ordered by AMAN chief - Major General Shlomi Binder.

The program will also focus on specialised training in the Houthi and Iraqi dialects as intelligence personnel have faced difficulty in deciphering Houthi communications. 

According to the report, the use of qat - a mild narcotic plant chewed socially in Yemen and other parts of Arab, affects speech clarity.

A senior Aman officer told 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 has said that there will be a new  department dedicated to Arabic and Islamic education. 

Moreover, the IDF has also planned to reopen TELEM, a department dedicated to promote Arabic and Middle Eastern studies in Israeli middle and high schools. Earlier, the department had been closed due to budget constraints, and as a result, the country saw a sharp decline in the number of personnel studying Arabic.