ARMY AND SOCIETY IN ISRAEL: PAST, PRESENT AND VECTORS OF THE FUTURE

• Main Author: A. D. EPSTEIN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ассоциация независимых экспертов «Центр изучения кризисного общества» (in English: Association for independent experts “Center for Crisis Society Studies”) 2017-10-01
• Series: Контуры глобальных трансформаций: политика, экономика, право
• Subjects: military; idf; depoliticization; arab-israeli wars; civil militarism; civil control; counter-terrorism
• Online Access: https://www.ogt-journal.com/jour/article/view/23

Israel is largely considered to be a nation greatly marked by the vital role of the military that ensures the very existence of the state whose independence is something that most of the neighboring nations in the Middle East region still cannot accept. Naturally, the  Israeli political elite is traditionally believed to be made up of mostly  retired high-ranking military personnel. However, that view has  nothing to do with the actual strategic and political reality. Over the  last forty years, the Israel Defense Forces have not been involved in  any war against foreign states and their regular armies, and due to various circumstances, one in two Israeli citizens does not actually serve in the military. Currently, the Israeli government  officials maintain unprecedentedly stable and cooperative ties both  with their American and Russian counterparts. The main threat to the national security is no longer a full-scale war but rather the  terrorist activity perpetrated by illegal, mostly (but not exclusively) Islamist armed guerilla groups. High-ranking military  personnel are still highly regarded in the Israeli society, though their  social status has lowered dramatically in the recent years. Only one of the ten incumbent members of the Security Cabinet turns out  to be a retired General Staff member who still happens to hold a  civilian office within the government; moreover, none of the possible  candidates for prime minister has an advanced military background.