Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become essential components in the battlefield. In Ukraine, both sides use them extensively to attack and for surveillance, and the US, Turkey, Israel, and other countries have been using them for military assignments. Terror groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas also use them, as do the Houthis in Yemen in their conflict with Saudi Arabia.
Unlike conventional military aircraft, which are very expensive to develop and build, UAVs are relatively cheap and rely on advanced technology rather than superior aerobatics to accomplish their missions. This allows countries with limited resources but advanced technology, such as Israel, to become world leaders.
Not only in the air, but also on the ground, unmanned military vehicles are “gaining ground.” Remotely controlled armed vehicles regularly patrol borders, and if they need to engage, they can open fire with high precision machine guns. At sea, unmanned patrol boats guard maritime borders and can detect, track, and fire on enemy vessels.
The problem is that while autonomous war machines give countries advantages they would not be able to achieve otherwise, they also make killing easier and risk-free for the attacker. They may give their owner a temporary edge over less advanced adversaries, but in the long run, they do not bring us closer to peace, but rather to a world war.
The evolving human intellect is captive in the hands of human wickedness. Instead of using it to improve our lives, we use it to destroy the lives of others.
If we want to change course, Israel must become a world leader in something entirely different: education. And more specifically—education for connection.
If we truly want to avoid war and promote peace, our focus should shift from protecting ourselves or destroying our enemies, into nurturing and enhancing internal unity and cohesion. With this tactic, we will not need to protect ourselves from enemies or destroy them in self-defense since we will have no enemies. We will become a beacon of hope for the world rather than a constant point of contention, which is our current international status.
Furthermore, our internal unity will reflect on the entire world, and conflicts that seem unrelated to us will subside as if on their own. The unity we will project to the world will install a mindset of peace on all of humanity and nations will conclude that they gain more by making peace and cooperating rather than by making war and obliterating.
I wish humanity would understand Israel’s role and pressured us to unite, so we could become a model nation, as our calling mandates. Yet, even if the world does not understand it, it is still our duty to unite and become a role model for the world. This is our only road to lasting peace and a prosperous future.
*For more on this topic read my book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, and my latest publication: New Antisemitism: Mutation of a Long-lived Hatred.
Photo Caption:
An employee looks at a computer screen as he stands next to an Elbit Systems Ltd. Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the company’s drone factory in Rehovot
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