Civil-military relations in Israel / Yehuda Ben Meir.

"A study of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The Scope of the Study: A Theoretical Model -- 2. Civilian Control -- 3. The Israeli System: Constitutional Principles. The Government. The Military. The Key Actors. Parliamentary Control. The Role of the Courts -- 4. The National Command Authority: Who Commands the IDF? -- 5. The Israeli System: Defense Organization. Unification. Centralization. Integration -- 6. Relationships Among the Key Actors. Cabinet-Prime Minister-Defense Minister. Prime Minister-Defense Minister-Chief of Staff. Defense Minister-Chief of Staff-Director-General. The Power of Appointment -- 7. Civilian and Military Involvement in National Security. Operations. Strategic Planning. Force Development -- 8. Civilian Control Revisited -- 9. Conclusions and Recommendations -- Appendix A. Theoretical Perspectives -- Appendix B. People Interviewed.

In Civil-Military Relations in Israel, Yehuda Ben Meir examines the reasons preventing Israel from becoming a "garrison state." A former deputy minister for foreign affairs and longtime member and analyst of the Israeli political scene, Ben Meir is uniquely qualified to give a behind-the-scenes picture of the intimate relationship between Israel's civilian and military leaders.

Civil-Military Relations in Israel examines the changing face of the military over the years from an idealistic defense force to a professional army. Ben Meir also views the great divisiveness in Israeli politics as a threat to the unified strength of purpose that in the past characterized the nation's civil authority, and he examines present and future threats to continued civilian control of the military.