Israel's Generals: Polished Brass

Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan was one. So were his Cabinet colleagues, Ezer Weizman and Ariel Sharon. So were former Labor Premier Yitzhak Rabin and his Foreign Minister Yigal Allon. D.M.C. Leader Yigael Yadin held the rank, as did United Nations Ambassador Chaim Herzog, Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat and Israel's Chief Rabbi (Ashkenazi) Shlomo Goren.

At one time or another, all these men were generals in the Israeli army or air force. In perhaps no other nation are retired military men so visible in civilian life. There are currently 40 retired officers in Israel who held the rank of major general or lieutenant general. Of these, eleven are in politics and 22 in high civil service posts; two have become academicians, while five hold executive jobs in private industry.

In many other countries, such a collection of polished brass, all of whom have close ties to the 18 generals still on active duty, would give rise to fears of a military putsch whenever things went badly. Israelis insist that this danger is nonexistent. For one thing, the army can scarcely be considered a threatening elite in a nation where almost every male--and many a female as well--has been a part of it. As Yigael Yadin once said when he was chief of staff, Israeli citizens are really soldiers on eleven months' leave. Israel, moreover, has carefully tried to avoid glamorizing the military; only in recent years, for example, have medals been awarded--and then sparingly. But credit is also due in large part to the foresight of the late David Ben-Gurion. Conscious that Israel would have to remain a fortress state, the first Premier insisted that it not become a militaristic one. Ben-Gurion was so determined to keep the army out of politics that it was not until after he left office that officers (including even the chief of staff) were allowed to appear at Cabinet meetings.

Some traditions instituted by Ben-Gurion remain. Israeli generals reach high rank early, and with plenty of experience: in addition to army training schools, they have seen ample combat at various levels through several wars. They also retain the tradition of retiring early, usually before they are 50. Thus most have a long civilian life ahead of them. Dayan, for instance, left active service nearly 20 years ago, but he is only 62.

Although the Begin government's triumvirate is notoriously hawkish, Israeli generals are not monolithically hard-line in their politics. Rabin, the only ex-general ever to head the government, turned out to be somewhat more moderate than his predecessor Golda Meir. Former Quartermaster General Matityahu Peled, who teaches Arabic studies at Tel Aviv University, is one of the few prominent Israelis who support the idea of a Palestinian state.

Chances are that Dayan, Sharon and Weizman will turn out to be less chauvinistic in their policies than expected. For one thing, observes Zeev Schiff, Ha 'aretz's military analyst, the fortunes of war have affected Israel's long mufti line. Following the spectacular victory of the Six-Day War, generals were national heroes, eagerly courted by political parties and the public alike. Israel fared less well in the October War, and generals seem to have lost some stature. Thus, even if the triumvirate were to favor some extreme military action, there is no guarantee that they could sell it to their countrymen.

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