The Relationship between the Military and Religious Groups in Contemporary Israel

A Historical Perspective and an Analysis of Religious Discourse after October 7

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the Israeli military and religion. Since its establishment, the Israeli military has employed religious discourse to motivate soldiers and accommodate the needs of religious personnel. Simultaneously, religious groups have utilized these discourses to justify wars and military affairs. The rise of asymmetric warfare has intensified the religionization of the ethics of the soldier, which shapes how soldiers perceive their enemies, and of the legitimacy of violence, which justifies warfare within a religious framework.

The outbreak of the October 7 war intensified this reciprocal relationship. In the aftermath of its operational failures, the military emphasized the importance of the ground forces and adopted a policy of impunity for religiously motivated violence. Concurrently, religious leaders framed the Gaza War as a holy war, oversimplifying Palestinians as religious adversaries. This discourse echoed the Orientalist analysis of Palestinians and Hamas as ‘irrational religious enemies’ in the military. This convergence of military and religious discourse reinforced the religionization of the military.

Challenging the assumption that the Israeli military is inherently secular, this study reveals a reciprocal relationship between religion and the Israeli military. Furthermore, it shows how this relationship intensified the religionization of military violence and its efforts in the October 7 war.