Rabbis and Rulings: Insubordination in the Military and Israeli Democracy

Abstract

Since the establishment of the state of Israel, consociational ar rangements have been relatively successful in moderating tension be tween the secular majority and the religious Zionist and ultra-orthodox minorities.1 In the pre-state period, when the Jewish community had to contend with a war on five fronts, the absorption of immigrants from a multitude of countries and cultures, and a weak economic base, group leaders entered into a status quo compromise agreement on issues of religion and state. This arrangement has endured for over six decades with modifications, despite the eruption of periodic tension between the two groups.2 concept of consociational democracy, first developed by Arend Lijphardt in 1969, emphasizes the critical role of political elites who keep the political system stable through cooperation and compromise. Lijphardt wrote, The essential characteristic of consociational democ racy is not so much any particular institutional arrangement as the de liberate joint effort by the elites to stabilize the system.3 It is impor tant that political elites recognize the danger of discord and disunity and seek ways to compromise and accommodate each other, in order to