Politics and Government in Israel by Mahler Gregory S.;

Author:Mahler, Gregory S.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 836984
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

The strategic implications of the small standing army and the need for nearly three days to achieve a full call-up of forces have influenced Israeli military decisions in the past in dealing with threats from neighbors.

Two significant political characteristics of the contemporary Israeli military have begun to receive more attention in the literature in recent years. First, the dynamics of the IDF have significantly changed since 1967, when much of the IDF’s activity had centered on being an army of occupation in the West Bank, Gaza, and Golan areas.88 Second, since the mid- to late 1960s, more and more senior IDF officers have left the armed forces and entered the political arena, making the military a regular channel of recruitment for the political elite.89 In 1973, for example, there were five retired generals in the twenty-one-member cabinet of Prime Minister Meir, the largest number of former military leaders in the Government until that time.90 Because of the principle of mandatory universal military service,91for women as well as men,92 all ideological groups are represented in the military, ranging from the far left to the far right.93

For obvious reasons, because of its vulnerable situation in relation to national security, the Israeli military establishment and the Defense Ministry have always played a significant role in the governmental process.94 In the recent past, the Defense Ministry alone has accounted for almost 40 percent of the national budget and virtually 20 percent of the GNP.95

Apart from the very obvious concern for national defense, one important function of the armed forces has been its role as a socializing institution.96 By requiring all citizens to serve in the IDF, Israel’s founding fathers “envisaged the military forces as a socializing agent, where class distinctions would be obliterated and new immigrants integrated.”97 Over the years the IDF has been responsive to the cultural and social needs of its soldiers, providing recreational and educational activities, as well as personal support services. Recruits with incomplete educational backgrounds are given opportunities to upgrade their level of education, and career officers are encouraged to study at the IDF’s expense during their service. The integration of new immigrant soldiers is facilitated through special Hebrew-language instruction and other programs. Active in nation-building enterprises since its inception, the IDF also provides remedial and supplementary education to civilian populations and contributes to the absorption of newcomers among the population at large.98

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