a major misunderstanding

Submitted by yuval Brandstetter MD (Israel), Jan 28, 2009 at 15:38

In Israel, as around the world, the military tends to absorb the warmed-over leftisms produced by civil society.

This is patently wrong. Most Israeli generals are the products of an ideaological sieve which allowed only those with Labor Party loyalty to come through. The rest, who might be Right leaning or from the Wrong background are caught at the colonel plus level, and weeded out.

The major concern of the rulling establishment, which is overwhelmigly Laborite, or Progressive or Liberal, is that the future military brass might come from the present middle echelon which is heavily right-leaning, coming as it does from the national Religious, former Russian immigrants and former Ethiopian immigrants.

This dire prediction is raising havoc, alarm, hand wringing and various outlandish proposals such as an end to conscript army and move to an all volunteer, that is mercenary army, one that the Establishment will keep on controlling. Looking for confirmation of my assertion I suggest reading Uri Milstein, an insider military critic.

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Daniel Pipes replies:

Sounds to me like you are agreeing with me but suggesting a reason and saying that things might change in the future. Sure.