"With words we govern men" – Disraeli

Recently the BBC News ran a story about some Israeli soldiers being dismissed from active combat duty because they were actively pro-settlement. Some went as far as holding up signs during the swearing-in ceremony that stated that the battalion would refuse to evacuate the settlements in the West Bank. A question arises – why would the Israeli government that is obviously pushing the settlements forward and wants the settlers to eventually push out the Muslim population out of the area punish the soldiers that are ready to give their lives for this cause? To answer this question, a deeper political analysis needs to be conducted in order to better understand that situation and the motives that govern the IDF’s decision to dismiss these soldiers.

The settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza strip are a form of population control. The Palestinians’ birth rate is much higher than that of the Jews in Israel. Thus it presents a problem in case all-out war between the two religious groups breaks out. The Israeli government has instituted the settlement program that urges anyone that has any family ties to Judaism to move in, virtually free of charge and with relocation expenses paid, into the new settlements. The settlers are then virtually left on their own to do as they please with the Israeli government’s backing. The settlers are there to protect their newly given land by any means. The Palestinians and the Arabs whose land has been taken of course protest and sometimes the clashes turn violent.

The settlers, since they have a central governing body that supplies them with food, water, and other necessities, are able to live with all conveniences in place. The Palestinians and the Arabs have to grow their own food and find their own source of water and public goods such as medicine. The settlers on numerous occasions have attacked Arab farms to diminish the food supply and income of the population, which they intend to push out of the area. The settlers generally wield weapons and use them at their own discretion as there is no formal law enforcement infrastructure in place in the settlements being built.

Many new soldiers that are conscripted into the IDF are eager to join the active combat soldiers as their personal beliefs, and beliefs engrained in them by their religious leaders, support the settlement programs. Many religious soldiers joining the military come from the centers for Jewish studies, called yeshivas. The rabbis there encourage the young people joining the IDF to protest settlement evacuation and claim that the lands in the West Bank and Gaza are inherently Jewish and belong to the Jewish people.

The government cannot tolerate this, at least on the formal level. Primarily, this is due to the fact that sometimes it is a political move to evacuate the settlements. This small gambit allows for possible larger gains in the overall process. This, however, may lead to a division within the military of those that are supportive of the settlements and those that do not want settlements there in the first place. The potential dangers of this are a social divide in the country itself.

The settlement process is highly criticized by most world leaders. The United States, under the Obama administration, has been pushing Israel to move towards a two state solution. Even if that is an option that is on the table and Israel is considering it, Tel Aviv would look to gain as much ground as possible or eliminate the distinct Arab parts completely. However, the Israeli government cannot make it formal that what they are doing is completely right. They have to indicate to the world that they condemn radicalism in their own ranks, which would indicate that the process is meant to be peaceful and well-intentioned.

The Israeli government and the IDF are willing to sacrifice a few soldiers in order to move ahead with their overall agenda of settlement expansion and increase the Jewish population in the area of the West Bank and Gaza. Putting a soldier on trial indicates to the world the intentions and that the government is not as radical as some may think. The soldiers serve a month in military prison and are then released. A slap on the wrist and whisper in the ear to ask them to keep their views on the “down low” for the time being is all that will happen. However, the official from Tel Aviv can say that they condemn radicalism in their own ranks, and that they are set on peacefully resolving the conflict between the Jews and the Muslims in the region.

http://rt.com/About_Us/Blogs/With_words_we_govern_men___Disraeli.html