Fifty years of Israeli security: The central role of the defense system.

From the beginnings of the Jewish state, the Israel Defense Forces have bee n an essential instrument of state policy. Along with the rest of the Israe li national security apparatus, they played an essential Pole in the state' s survival and identity But with the emergence of an Arab-Israeli peace pro cess and the transformation of the nature of the military threat, the role of the IDF in Israeli life is changing as well. This article provides an ov erview of the evolution of the Israeli security apparatus and its role in s ociety.