The Israeli Military and Israel’s Palestinian Policy From Oslo to the Al Aqsa Intifada Yo r am Peri United States Institute of Peace Peaceworks No. 47. First published November 2002. The views expressed in this report are those of the author alone. They do not necessarily reflect views of the United States Institute of Peace. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036-3011 Phone: 202-457-1700 Fax: 202-429-6063 E-mail:
[email protected] Web: www.usip.org Contents Key Points 5 Foreword by Samuel W. Lewis 9 1. The Israeli Pattern of Political-Military Partnership 11 2. The Geostrategic Transformation of the 1990s 14 3. The Political Arm of the Israeli Defense Forces 20 4. The Modus Operandi of the Military 26 5. The Second About-Face: The Al Aqsa Intifada 30 6. The Sharon Government: The Tail Wagging the Dog? 36 7. Discussion: Peace from a Realpolitik Perspective 45 8. Conclusions: Civil Supremacy in a Low-Intensity Conflict 52 9. Moving Forward: Recommendations for Improving Civil-Military Relations in Israel 55 Notes 58 References 60 About the Author 63 About the Institute 65 Key Points ◗ Far from being a passive implementer of policy, the Israeli military has been a major catalyst in embarking on the road to peace as well as the path to war. Such a high level of policy influence is uncharacteristic of the military in advanced democracies. However, it has been typical of political-military relations in Israel and has become even more pronounced in the past decade.