Rubber Bullets by Yaron Ezrahi

Rubber Bullets: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained one of the most difficult international issues in modern times.

Although of extremely small relative size, geographically, Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine are closely related to, as well as ultimately responsible for, much of the simmering hatred present in the current "war on terrorism." Within the area, however, specifically within the collective consciousness of both Palestinians as well as Israeli's, the methods of engagement used by the IDF, or Israeli Defense Forces against the Palestinian population is often a reflection, or a symbolic representation of the overall Israeli political/ideological climate.

Rubber Bullets: Power and Conscience in Modern Israel (1997) by Israeli political scientist Yaron Ezrahi, discusses this reality, and reaches some interesting conclusions. Rubber Bullets was written in a very different time from today. Indeed, although the events in Israel and Palestine during that time were far from peaceful, there remained an unprecedented sense of hope that, perhaps, through true negotiations, a settlement could be reached.

Regardless, it critiques the nature of Israeli culture and its sense of heavy-handed nationalism in a way that seems to herald the Sharon Policies of today. In specific, Rubber Bullets explores the unique aspects of Israeli society, militarism, cultural quirks (masculinity, private space, literature), and sense of collective history.

He uses the historical background of the founding of the State of Israel -- specifically drawing on its early tradition of "collective" cooperation and the overall legacy that collectivism that has been imprinted on the Israeli consciousness, and argues that that very consciousness interferes with the average Israeli's sense of moral autonomy and individualism. Thus, Ezrahi contends that, although Israel is often touted as being the only "democratic" nation in the Middle East, it can only be truly democratic if Israeli culture moves away from this excessively collective consciousness.

In specific, this collective consciousness in which Israelis grasp on to ideological and religious histories, in effect, basing their allegiance (and their free thinking), on these histories, prevents them from the political change necessary to change their situation.

Interestingly, Ezrahi does not shy away from linking much of the popularly embraced qualities of Israeli society -- in effect, those qualities that give most Israeli's their sense of pride in identity -- collectivism, unity, religiously motivated policy (whether or not the individual is religious), as well as an examination on the pride of Zionism (a cultural history that must be tempered, he asserts, with an acceptance of its dominating and colonialist realities).

The title of the work refers to the decision of the IDF to begin a more widespread use of rubber bullets against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Here, Ezrahi places significance on a shift of Israeli response to the intifada. Specifically, he asserts that the switch from traditional ammunition to rubber bullets represented a kind of self-regulation or policing, perhaps -- a self-imposed limitation in response to Israel's moral obligations as a democracy.

Of course, many in the Middle East in general, and the Palestinian Territories, in specific might take issue with the assessment of the humane nature of the switch to rubber bullets (after all, as many Palestinians can attest, rubber bullets were simply used in conjunction with live ammunition, and were still capable of serious permanent injury, or even death), and assert that his view of the, perhaps, moderating Israeli Army and national consciousness is extremely simplistic.

Further, even Israeli's themselves might take issue with his entire Israeli consciousness argument (after all, Israeli society is hardly homogenous in ideology, class or influence). The conclusion of Rubber Bullets seems to assess the decision to use, as well as the "on the ground" implementation of rubber bullets to be an extremely significant commentary on the Israeli government's as well as the collective consciousness of the Israeli people's commitment toward pursuing peace. In particular, he herald's Rabin's election, and the "land for peace" policy that he supported.

Although, this may be questionable, it certainly does give one pause in comparison to the current administration under Ariel Sharon. In short, although Rubber Bullets does give an interesting description of the birth of the rubber bullet policy and its significance with regard to Israeli consciousness, one wonder's at is accuracy. Indeed, given other events of the time --.