Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy (22 February, 2018, 7 Adar, 5778)
Regardless of technology, are Israeli soldiers really that good?
https://www.quora.com/Regardless-of-technology-are-Israeli-soldiers-really-that-good/answer/Yair-Davidiy
An answer to a question of this nature can only be given in general terms. Every rule has its exceptions. Israeli soldiers like soldiers everywhere will function in accordance to their degree of training, their physical state, the supply of food and water, degree of exhaustion, number of wounded, motivation, existing political climate, etc. On the whole Israeli soldiers have a relative high degree of trust in each other. They will not be afraid of receiving a bullet in the back or otherwise betrayed. They will look out for each other, fight for one another. They have a high degree of social cohesion and will act as a team, making allowances for the weaknesses and strengths of each other. They will all know how to use their weapons and have a basic notion as to how to react under pressure. They can function with or without officers. I would say that they operate better than foreign soldiers of a comparable physical and social level. They can keep going a little longer. They usually believe in the God of Israel. That is what they are there for. This is valid even if their life style is not exactly in accordance to His laws. In confrontation this combination can culminate in marginal differences making all the difference. You only need to be a little bit better to be overwhelmingly victorious. Despite all this we all make mistakes. No-one is born invincible. It is forbidden to be over-confident. Every war that Israel fights is liable to be the last one, God forbid. In case of defeat the enemy will show no mercy. There are also subversive elements within the defense establishment that for ideological reasons work for increased feminization of the fighting forces, etc.
Whether Israeli soldiers are that good or not it is the God of Israel who gives victories, or withholds them. We can only do as much as we can when we can.