Abstract
The political use of force refers to the actions of political leaders who resort to military means with the intention of protecting their political lives and reputations. This is a high-risk choice that may not gain the intended support because it risks the lives of soldiers. Therefore, even in the case of military policy, leaders avoid risk by adopting defensive rather than aggressive measures. In this case, the question is whether defensive rather than offensive measures exert the same rally effect that leaders hope for and whether they avert a crisis in a leader’s political life. To answer this question, we conducted a survey experiment in Israel. The results revealed that in terms of support gained, defensive measures, such as the separation wall and strengthening of the Iron Dome, did not differ from the expression of regret. Therefore, it is believed that Israel prefers offensive measures, even in wars wherein leaders in danger of being reelected appeal to military force.
