It happened in the south. Three citizens of Israel, residents of the Bedouin town Bir Hadaj, were arrested and indicted for stealing weapons and ammunition from the IDF during the Gaza war
But in a country like Israel, no act of military theft stays local – and no city feels the consequences more than Jerusalem
The images released are chilling: rows of bullets, a stolen MAG machine gun, rifles ready for use. This was no random break-in. It was methodical, strategic, and carried out by citizens of the state while the army was at war
(45,000 Pray at Al-Aqsa as Islamic Year Begins)
Not just a theft – a sovereign rupture
According to the indictment, the suspects infiltrated live-fire zones, stole weapons from a military truck en route to the Gaza border, and even removed ammunition from under the head of a sleeping soldier
This is not simply a criminal act. It is a collapse of trust between the state and those expected to be protected by it
When the IDF is breached from within, it is not just the base that is exposed – it is the entire civilian rear
From Bir Hadaj to Jerusalem – distance doesn’t matter
Weapons have trajectories. Not just ballistic ones – but political, moral, and social
A rifle stolen in the Negev can easily make its way to East Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the hands of extremist actors within the city itself
Geography may separate, but weakness travels fast
What research continues to show – clearly
Studies in political science and civil-military relations show that the leakage of military arms into civilian hands leads to a dual breakdown: one of physical security, and another of institutional legitimacy
The public space becomes tense. Citizens feel exposed
The military, once seen as a unifying force, becomes a vulnerable symbol
And in a society like Israel – where military presence is embedded in everyday life – these fractures don’t stay hidden for long
(The Raid in India Signals Pressure on East Jerusalem)
Jerusalem doesn’t appear in the indictment – but it’s always the target
The arrests took place far from the Old City
But Jerusalem is the one city that depends most on public order, on law, on the idea of sovereignty
When that idea is breached, even from the south – the echoes reach the capital
