The Imprint of the Int fad: Response of Kibbutz-Born Soldiers to Military Service in the West Bank and Gaza

Abstract

Israel Army veterans of kibbutz background who had served in the occupied territories during the Intifada were retrospectively asked how this service affected them. Some common themes were disclosed. Service in the territories deepened understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but increased fear and hate of Arabs. These feelings did not lead to a national extremism, but rather to a rationalistic position demanding a peaceful, political solution. The majority of respondents became firmer in their original "leftist" position, and the justification for their position was utilitarian, considering the needs of the Israeli side; only a few based their position on support for the Palestinians' rights or suffering. To cope with the conflict between their military duty and their moral values, soldiers either sought shelter in military orders or compartmentalized their humanistic values and military duty. Few criticized the army. The major criticism, that soldiers had not been given enough tools to deal with the challenges of the Intifada, was directed at the state. Many regarded military service during the Intifada as a most difficult experience, but with only a temporal imprint.

Demographic Variables as Antecedents of Israeli Community and National Resilience

“…Village residents supported left wing and right‐wing parties to the same extent (see Election to the 18 Knesset: http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections18/heb/results/ballot_results.aspx?city=2800). Furthermore, earlier studies in Israel indicated the importance of political attitudes and the effect of these attitudes on a large range of topics (Dar & Kimhi, ; Kimhi & Sagy, ; Kimhi & Shamai, ; Sagy, ). It is possible that the more right‐wing political attitudes associates with higher identification and support for the current government and higher level of national resilience.…”

Emotions in conflict: Correlates of fear and hope in the Israeli-Jewish society.

“…Soldiers who served in these areas, mainly since the eruption of the first Intifada in 1987, are, on the one hand, exposed to constant threat and danger from attacks by the Palestinians; and, on the other hand, they may participate in or witness immoral Israeli conduct and view Palestinian suffering (Gazit, 1999). Studies conducted in Israel found that such service often leads to anti-Palestinian emotions, mistrust, fear, hate, disgust, dehumanization, and prejudice (Dar, Kimhi, Stadler, & Epstein, 2000; Gazit, 1999): H5: Serving in the Israeli army in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will increase both personal and collective fear and weaken hope.…”

Mission Command in Dutch Peace Support Missions

“…16 The goals of the deployed units are often unclear because of the unfamiliarity with the constabulary role, 17 because of the ambiguity and danger of the situation, 18 or because a political body or the public is undecided about what should be done. 19 A number of studies have stated that the means for operations are inadequate because the rules of engagement are too strict to be successful, 20 or because the soldiers are not able to cope with the complexities of peace support operations. 21 Finally, mutual trust is not optimal or guaranteed when soldiers have not been adequately trained or when they do not have the right attitudes.…”