ABSTRACT
Repeated IDF victories created a negative image of the Arab as a soldier, at least in the eyes of the Israeli public. The accepted opinion was that he possessed low motivation, wasn’t resolute, had a low average intelligence and 228therefore found it difficult to handle sophisticated weapons, wasn’t prepared to take over-many risks and tended to abandon wounded comrades. His officers mostly made lying reports, and their attitude to their men was poor. Professional military men also made this generalization, though not all IDF officers subscribed to it. The determining factor was public opinion, since this public furnished both officers and men of the reserve army. Till the Six Day War, this opinion may have been shared by few, but the great victory of 1967 turned it into common concensus. Senior military men said that the quality gap, which determines the soldier’s level, is a matter for generations.
