ABSTRACT
The State of Israel was born into the Arab-Israeli conflict and has existed in its shadow throughout its history. There can be no doubt that the conflict was, and still is, the central preoccupation of the society. This means, for example, that resources are allocated to defense at the cost of social development, and to raising warriors at the expense of scholars. In the lives of individuals the reality of conflict takes the form of Katyusha raids, terrorist attacks, a constant threat of war, and the near certainty of war once a decade. For young people, being Israeli citizens implies a much greater commitment to the collective than in all Western countries (in the form of long compulsory army service, and years of reserve duty).
