Israel Studies

Relations between the media and military affairs, or the media and the security field, have been dramatically altered since 1973 and even more so since the early 1990s. Media outlets have transformed from subservient and deferential into a confrontational model, and the military ceased to be a "sacred cow". If, in the past, the media were only as a tool of the state, they have seemingly also been regarded as reflecting society and individuals. However, a deconstruction of media and news media texts reveals deep structures that have not changed. As in the past, so in contemporary time, the media continue to be a major agent in the development of the Israeli military ethos. They play a significant role in the construction of the image of the enemy (be it the Arabs, the Palestinians, or Gentiles at large). They nourish the positive image of the Jewish hero and of war ethos. They transfix macht (power) values and contribute to the construction of the gender structure of Israeli society. Eventually they nourish the aspired model of a warring society. Therefore, as research of civil military relations in Israel historically focused on the modes by which the media assisted the survival of a besieged society under conditions of prolonged war, while keeping its democratic spirit, this chapter will demonstrate how the media restrained the development of civilian ethos and impeded the development of a post-war society in spite of the accelerating decolonization process.