ABSTRACT
Since its establishment, Israel has experienced, on the one hand military confrontations and, on the other, discussions of cease-fire arrangements and armistices, diplomatic negotiations, political-military arrangements, and peace talks. This historical experience required the political leadership and the military command to fashion, from the very outset, a well-established pattern of relations. Although the principles of this model have not changed, particularly that of the subordinate position of the military with regard to the political system, quite a few changes have occurred in their interpretation and implementation. This is particularly true concerning the influence of the patterns of relations between the two elites on the shaping of foreign and security policy.
