Publications

In the third article in INSS memorandum no. 159, “Military Service in Israel: Challenges and Ramifications,” Dov Tamari argues that as long as the Israeli army remains a “people’s army,” the IDF is a significant social entity. In this capacity, until the Six Day War it was considered to be the most successful organization in Israel, primarily because by means of compulsory conscription, it facilitated integration into Israeli society. The Six Day War was followed by a change in the IDF’s social and political positioning, as since then not all wars in which the IDF participated were major successes, and the IDF subsequently became involved in deepseated social disputes in Israel. One example is the political debate concerning the conscription and status of ultra-Orthodox and religious Jews in the IDF. Still, Tamari believes that today the IDF continues to function as a social organization no less than as a fighting military organization. He also contends that as long as it can effectively serve as a force that contributes more to Israeli society than it receives, the IDF has the ability to survive as an accepted and desired entity within Israeli society. In his view, the IDF should not be thinking in terms of “what the IDF needs,” but rather, “what the IDF, as a people’s army, can contribute to Israeli society.” According to his analysis, the army must seek out meaningful social roles for itself, as failing to do so will endanger the people’s army.