Israel's New Militarism.(Brief Article)

Israel has gone through some significant changes over the past 20 months, during its latest "war" with the Palestinians, but perhaps the most profound has been within the Israeli Defense Force. For much of the past 15 years, the IDF has been on the defensive or in decline. Israeli generals supported a moderate foreign policy, endorsed the peace process and asserted that "there is no military solution" to the Palestinian conflict. But from the first days of the current Al Aqsa intifada, which began in September 2000, the Army has taken a far different approach--fighting much more aggressively against Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority. In fact, there has been a clear revival of militarism within the high command--as evidenced by the harsh treatment of Palestinian civilians and regular sweeps the Army has been making through West Bank towns.

The man behind the tough new campaign is the outgoing chief of staff, Gen. Shaul Mofaz. During his four years of command, Mofaz has preached the "value of victory" to his force, and he has taken this uncompromising idea to the field. The Israeli Army has responded fiercely to Palestinian demonstrations and suicide attacks; so far, 1,600 Palestinians and 500 Israelis have been killed. During the first intifada, which began in 1987, soldiers and officers were disciplined for the mistreatment of Arab civilians. That rarely happens anymore.

Mofaz has called on the Israeli cabinet to declare the Palestinian Authority the "enemy"--which would effectively give Israel a license to crush an administrative organization. In the field, overzealous military actions sometimes lead to further escalation. In a rare admission, the IDF chief of planning, Gen. Giora Eiland, said last week that IDF "mistakes" earlier this year, such as the destruction of homes in the town of Rafah, were a "turning point," ending a fragile ceasefire and prompting a new wave of violence--Palestinian suicide attacks were followed, in March, by a massive retaliatory West Bank invasion. Last Wednesday, at a security-cabinet meeting, Mofaz proposed that Israel recapture Palestinian cities and expel Arafat from the country. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dismissed the idea, but it was a tell-ing sign that the military has become more hawkish than Sharon himself. That's unlikely to change. Mofaz's deputy and designated successor, Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, is also a hard-liner. He recently criticized both Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and the United States for letting Arafat go free.

What's caused the resurgence of militarism in Israel? ...