ABSTRACT
Modern Zionism, marking the return of the Jewish people to world history and politics, has meant above all else securing a safe haven. Zionism set out to provide Jews with a refuge; somewhere they could sink roots and confidently lead a normal, productive life out of harm's way. Despite the fervent wish of political Zionism's founders to escape Jewish history hostile external environment which contributes to a siege mentality and which dictates the military-operational dimension of Israel's defense doctrine. Liberalizing an Israeli military culture that has in the disadvantaged women, alienated the Israeli Arab population and been slow to accommodate potential ultra-Orthodox draftees. The debit side of the ledger must surely reference Israelis' perceptions of themselves as besieged and as doing their best to act with restraint in self-defense. From there it is easy to pronounce "Israeli case closed," the logical conclusion being that the Jewish State is so exceptional that no room is left for comparative analysis.
