Israel's military socialization process

To repel the Palestinian movement

Military socialization is the process of transition of behaviors, feelings, values and judgments in relation to the individual and for security defense it is considered as the relationship between systems. This means that the structure interchanges between inputs and outputs, with personal and social system of individual and society. The process is in such a way that the military organization by its educational tools tries to teach and institutionalize data within individual, in such a way that the value elements of the institution be consistent with the structure of individual’s personality. The importance of the military socialization is that the army as trustee of this issue has characteristics of total structure. In the words of "Goffman: " total structure, is a structure in which an individual has the minimum autonomy and has no will or freedom, and as a "zombie" or an automatic dream, man has no will of his own and only acts on dictated schedule by system and in the words of “Owen”, Australian sociologist, the interpreted elements of this structure, more or less, have the same cohesion and similarity. This process in Israeli society is very important in one aspect that the mentioned society owns military characteristic, and it is famous as a garrison state or an armed society in which all the Jewish men and women who are able to carry weapons, will spend a period of military service. Israel’s ground forces that has faced lack of human resources, is composed of the elements of caution, and it has set the community as a place to put their training in and has inspired society that Israeli society is in continual internal and external conflicts with enemies and by acknowledging that the situation of the country is critical, it has started to recruit and train soldiers through this structure, so the military structure in Israel is considered as one of the elements of the development and survival of Israel, a collection of devices with ultra-military role that in addition to military applications, it has political, economic, and social functions as well. For example, the "sapling" organization dependent on the Joint organization of Israeli army that work in border towns and in military industries institutions or at the military retirees’ center, has some trainings in their programs so the Israelis believe to see themselves as a part of the integration system of Israel and adapt their goals with the goals of the political system. Thus, In Israel the military structure does not only have obvious functions of "Manifesto" which are the defense of the country, national security and internal order, or in the words of "Kolodoits" destroying the enemy, but at the same time, it has a hidden functions especially in the field of education of patriotism and following the government's orders. This is why in human resources, organization of the armed forces of Israel that is responsible for the manpower planning and matters relating to conscription and civil defense, and political justification officer, ordination officer of women, youth Gedna or battalion of youth, military rabbi and the attorney military general are related to each other so that they can give military training coincided with the political education to their people. In fact, in the occupied territories, the educational system and defense system mutually provide services for each other. One obvious function in a way that is consistent with one other hidden function. "Gedna" Office in the IDF, particularly using its permanent officers, plays the role of supportive and complementary of educational system, and the Ministry of Education and Culture and also the Education Commission and the House of Israel Synagogue provide mental and psychological preparation needed for the arrival of fourteen to eighteen-year-old male and female militants into the military structure. Even the Arabs should take military service to fit in with the society and Zionist values be transferred to them as well. Civil society and military society have a close cooperation in promoting Zionist values in society. Activities of 21/6 percent of religious schools and private schools and 9/9 percent of the Extremist religious parties have caused young people to be dominated by the ideology of Zionism, in addition, the social and political organizations such as parties, especially the party of "Likud", which goal is to achieve integrated Israel land and other social and political groups, trade unions and religious organizations and institutions of government, in addition to promoting racist Jewish values, have a part in the socialization of young people. By training them that they need to adhere to the military rules and by the institutionalization of fear and hatred against Muslims in Palestine, they provide necessary backgrounds for militants’ preparation to repel with the Palestinian Islamic movement. In Israel we can observe an obvious and significant exchange between the army and the society, so that in this very homogeneous population, there is a kind of coherence and consistency between effective teaching elements on individual process of socialization and also among all military elements. In other words, there is a type of coherence and cohesion between all the elements influencing the value system of the individual, such as military institution, school, family, peer groups, and even group medias, in such a way that the person is not faced with conflicting values and thereby the values are inspired in the minds of Israelis and the induction of these values to the Israeli people is done in four steps:
1. The stage of predicted socialization:
At this stage, before entering the system, the individual will be familiar with it.
2. The stage of adaptation and adjustment of individual:
At this stage, the maximum data is transmitted to individual so that the values of structure root in individual. At this stage rituals such as "transforming" and "investment", which mean separation of a person from a group of his age and going to other age groups through performing special ceremonies and rituals that are very important in military service. At this stage, the person can adapt himself to the military environment.
3. Stage of the ''identification”:
At this stage, the individual is linked to the system and sees himself as a part of the system’s identity.
4. Stage of the ''assimilation'':
At this stage, the influence of system on individual is not complete and the individual accepts the military institution as his family.
Through passing these four stages the individual and his personality’s structure is adapted with cultural and political and military elements of his environment. In this situation, the individual see his goals in one direction with the goals of the Israeli garrison state.
One of the goals of the military socialization in Israeli is the preservation and development of integration and homogeneity among the various constituent elements of society and finally, to encourage the process of nation-building, it means it gives the individual the identity and cohesion of the political environment.
The collective and military values in Israel, makes a significant impact on convergence. In the early days of the structuring of Israel, several military and paramilitary organizations like "Hashumyr, Haganah, Palma, Oregon and Laity" were the reasons of the formation of Israel in 26 May 1948 C; these organizations are also the reasons of the formation and continuation of existence of the regime. Army led to the development of Israel, and it is considered as the proceeding element of this process. The process seems to be of David Ben-Gurion who ordered the integration of those militant groups that created Israel in an united organization called the Israel Defense Army in May 26, 1948. In Israel, the army has appeared as a part of the state and nation with the advent of this country and could have an important role to play in nation-building process.
Another objective of the military socialization is accompaniment of this process with the process of political socialization. It means that in addition to penetrate the military values into minds of people such as obedience and acceptance of the authority of military officials, political values are given to militia like:
Individual’s support of ruling system and praise of freedom and democracy in the society and in the political system of country. In this regard, not only military socialization is a process to legitimize military operation, but it has an important role in the continuity and survival of the Zionist regime's rulers. Israel's army is politically making people coordinated with the current situation, and as the last bastion and walls of Israeli society, it also has a political function and maintains the government’s system and pursues it.
Another purpose of the military socialization is social socialization. not only the army has a political function but it also has a social function, namely to strengthen the coherence and national preservation in the area. Lack of conflict in the process of public and military education, has made a real bond between military objectives and social objectives for individual among the values of family, school and the army so that the person sees himself as a part of the Israel's political system. On the other hand, the Israeli educational system by prioritizing Jews and deprivation of Arabs are of many rights in education, has used training as a means to strengthen the homeland of the Jewish people and the subjugation of the Arabs, and by the rule of Hebrew language on Arabic language, had a major contribution on the induction of the Zionist ideology and its penetration into the minds of the people of Israel. This issue is coincided with Israel's military socialization in which the racist Zionist values are emphasized. promoting the slogan of the “return of people without a land without a people”, the Palestine, and following a realistic slogan "If you want peace be prepared for war", Zionist ideals are strengthen in the people and has directed the public opinion in the legitimation and grounds expansion and racism and racial superiority of the Jews on the Arabs. Military institutions tried to create fear and hatred and enmity in the hearts of the soldiers and militias against the Muslim people of Palestine and introduced them as tremendous enemies. Their goals have been mostly focused on public opinion to be aware of external threats and mobilizing the Jewish people in the process of people deterrence strategy; it means that deterrence of Arabs have been over the peace fulfillment. In fact, in Zionism regime, people deterrence strategy with an emphasis on mobilizing people, women and men and the use of military service is the common condition of ideology and values in the process of military socialization of the Israel. We should say that geo-strategy and ideo-strategy are mixed in this country. Israeli military institution has an important role in the process of nation-building in order to achieve the internal convergence by a great emphasis on building a shared past, restoring memory, and establishing a common hope for a common future. Introduction of Jewish history as the story of the suffering and hardship and adversity is exactly in this regard. The aim of this mechanism is stimulation of people by remembering those shocking events until they feel that they need to create a nation distinct from other nations. This will strengthen sense of nationalism and internal integration and keeps the ideals of the Israelis alive that Jews have a right to peace and security and walking happily and proudly in Palestine.
In this regard, repetition of national and religious rituals, festivals, anniversaries and honors and repetition of anti-Palestinian songs and inculcating the feeling that Jews are as a symbol of national coalition - Palestinian and narrating the religious legends plays an important role in promoting the values of Zionism in Israel. In parallel, the role of institutions of educational system is very effective in Israeli schools; they reinforce semi-military attitudes with help of public advisers, and prepare people to enter the army and repel with Palestinians. Thus the military socialization process in the Israel follows four stages of politicization, personalization, optimization, and institutionalizing, so with the political and legal education to individuals and their subordination to the general regulations, the can strengthen the belief in them that responsibility and solidarity are learnable issues, so at the same time by strengthening national and patriotic feelings of the Israelis, the ideal of creating hatred in the hearts of the Jews against Palestinians Muslims is realized.
Thus, the "Zionism" has been able to legitimatize Palestinian’s rights for themselves, and brutally crush the Palestinian movement.
In the hope of a day that the Palestinian people can rely on the concepts and principles of Islam to interfere in the process of socialization in Israel, and in this way, by relying on consistency of domestic forces and resources and benefiting from the support of the Islamic world, win the Zionist regime.