ABSTRACT
The settlement movement is one of the most influential social movements the State of Israel has ever known. Strategically combining institutional and non-institutional politics, the movement has made headway into society, the army, and the political system, and managed to sustain itself, despite major challenges and setbacks. Given that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has never been free of politics it is not surprising that part of the sources of the settlement movement's success was the nature of its interaction with the IDF. Of particular relevance is the interaction between the IDF and the Religious Zionist (RZ) public. This is so for two reasons. First, in broad perspective, RZ settler groups have long become the most central and influential force within the settlement movement. Second, interaction with the IDF has taken a unique form and content—the Arrangement Yeshivah—which went through meaningful changes following 1967 and took on distinctive features in the settlements.
