War and Peace in Israeli Politics: Labor Party Positions on Israeli Security (review)

Vol. 10, No.3 Spring 1992 153 impact in Israeli and international politics regarding Israel settlement policy. Although experts on any of the three groups would be gratified by the depth of their treatment, the reader with a general interest in Israeli political change, or one with a general, theoretical interest in the relationships between interest groups and political culture, would find reading the entire work slow going. Marcia Drezon-Tepler's research is significant in that it serves to update our perceptions and assumptions of the way politics in Israel works. It is a valuable contribution both to the study of political culture in Israel and for comparative political science. Guy H. Haskell Judaic and Near Eastern Studies Oberlin Coll~ge War and Peace in Israeli Politics: Labor Party Positions on Israeli Security, by Efraim Inbar. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1991. 184 pp. $27.50. The Israeli Labor Party is commonly described as "dovish." Uke many labels, this one, too, helps to draw distinctions. But it is simplistic, and therefore misleading. Efraim Inbar, Senior Lecturer in political studies at Bar-Han University and Research Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, shows in this book how complex Labor views on security really are, and how they evolved over the years. Inbar suggests that a true appreciation of Labor's views requires that the concept of security be divided into its components. He lists four key issues and describes the variety of views held among Labor activists on each of them: 1) the perception of the threat emanating from the Arab world; 2) who ought to be the partner in any agreement; 3) the content of agreements; and 4) the appropriateness of the use of military force under various circumstances. In discussing these issues he shows that each of them is also complex and can be further disaggregated. Take the question of who should be a partner to negotiations and agreements: Jordan? the Palestinians? which Palestinians? should Israel negotiate with the PLO? Labor leaders' views on these issues vary, and they have changed over time. 154 SHOFAR It is not only that views on these issues are complex; they occasionally appear contradictory. For example, doves, in contrast to hawks, believe that the Arab threat to Israel is declining. Yet this view is sometimes accompanied by the belief that unless a settlement is reached now, the threats to Israel's existence will soon become much more dangerous. The book shows that Labor Party positions have changed over time. The author claims that the watershed was the 1973 war, and that since then Labor attitudes have gradually softened. The book provides only partial answers to why this evolution took place. Among the factors influencing attitudes were the changes in the Arab world, in the international environment,· in the Israeli national political scene, and in the internal politics of the Labor Party. The interaction among these factors is undoubtedly complex. Still, more could have been said to explain the evolution of Labor positions. An intriguing question which is addressed by the author is the "rationality" of the party's behavior. Given the widely held view that the electorate has become gradually more hawkish, one could expect the Labor Party to adjust its pOSitions to conform to this trend in public opinion. Yet, in fact, the party moved in the opposite direction. The author provides several explanations for this behavior. Two among them appear particularly interesting. One is that the leadership takes a "Burkean" view of its role, seeking to lead public opinion rather than follow it. (Is this the "elitism" that Labor is accused of?) The other explanation is that some party activists believe that in order to win elections, the Party needs to emphasize what differentiates it from the Likud, rather than blur the distinctions. The book is based on very extensive research, including numerous interviews. It is richly documented. Those who seek a deeper understanding of Labor Party positions, going beyond the simple labelling of "doves" and "hawks," will find the book highly illuminating. Saadia Touval Center for International Affairs Harvard University ...