Prof. Uriel Reichman, Founding President and Chairperson of the Board of Reichman University, issued a stark warning at the opening of the 25th Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counterterrorism, hosted by the university’s International Institute for Counterterrorism (ICT).
“The October 7 massacre was a pogrom,” Reichman said. “Something fundamental in our national vision was truly shattered that day.” He cautioned that Israel must urgently confront deep structural challenges. “It is now our duty to fight for the character of Israel’s regime and its leadership,” he said. “The rift within Israeli society led us to a terrible situation on the eve of October 6. The struggle over the state’s future will, to a large extent, be decided by the soldiers returning from the battlefield.”
Reichman criticized the growing influence of extremist ideology, warning that “messianic fervor is very dangerous” and accusing members of government of embedding such views into Israel’s institutions. Turning to the judicial reform, Reichman said it sought to “push through, in a blitz, a massive revolution intended to change the very foundation of the state.” He drew parallels to Turkey and Hungary, where he said leaders first “paralyzed the courts and then the other gatekeepers.”
His address also touched on the human toll of the ongoing conflict. “At our university, we see dozens of young people with amputated limbs, head injuries, and PTSD, who are trying to return to life slowly, with love and support,” he said.
“These students defended the country with integrity. What kind of state are they getting in return? Here at the university, we have an obligation to pave a path forward with them, and for them.” Prof. Boaz Ganor, President of Reichman University, also spoke at the summit’s opening, describing Israel as caught in “the eye of the global storm.”
He traced the crisis back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attack, followed by Israel’s Iron Swords War. “Since then, additional fronts have erupted in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran, while tensions have escalated with other countries as well,” Ganor said. “Facing simultaneous military confrontations for nearly two years is an unprecedented challenge.”
While praising the battlefield heroism of IDF soldiers, Ganor warned that Israel is “suffering defeat” on the international stage. “Israel’s enemies are relentlessly working to spread the anti-Zionist narrative,” he said, noting that global hostility has been fueled by “statements and actions by extremist elements in the government.”
Ganor criticized decision-makers for ignoring the advice of security officials and said the war has lost clarity of purpose. “This war was launched as a war of no choice – a war of self-defense that could not be more justified,” he said. “But for over a year now, it has become a war of choice, in pursuit of shifting and unclear objectives. The damage caused by its continuation now outweighs any benefits.”