ABSTRACT
In 1996, on the anniversary of Prime Minister Rabin’s assassination, the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff delivered a speech in which he warned of the gap that he saw opening up between the army and certain parts of society, and criticized Israeli society for legitimizing the avoidance of military service. Around that time the minister of defense visited the army’s induction center and was surprised to hear graduates of prestigious high schools expressing reservations about serving in combat units.
