Women in Zones of Conflict: Gender Structures and Women's Resistance in Israel

J.L. Granatstein, Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus,
York University, served as Director of the Canadian War Museum from 1998
to 2000. His latest works are Who Killed Canadian History?, Who Killed
the Canadian Military, and Hell’s Cor

A small state surrounded by much larger enemies, Israel has a Defence
Force with a reputation for courage and skill. It also has a reputation
for being one of the earliest of modern nations to bring women into its
armed forces, a transition that has usually been portrayed as seamless
and accomplished almost without opposition. Tami Jacoby, a professor at
the University of Manitoba and a specialist on the Middle East, argues
against this widespread view, among other topics, in this brief volume.
She focuses on three Israeli women’s political organizations, one of
which argues for full combat involvement, one that calls for sharing
Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinians, and one that is
nationalist and religious. To Jacoby, there is no natural link between
women and pacifism, nor is there necessarily an automatic patriarchal
victimization of women in a nationalist context. Instead, the story is
much more nuanced and complicated, with factors such as race, class,
religion, and politics co-existing with gender. As a result this book
sounds a note of sanity, rare enough to be commended.