Israeli military no longer lords and masters of the women who work for them

Israel Warriors Find Machismo Is Way of Past -- by DINA KRAFT

TEL AVIV— For decades it was widely accepted that some of Israel ’s top military officers and government ministers considered sexual encounters with female employees a seigneurial right.

A society built partly on the conscious effort to project an image of strength tended to overlook such harassment. In fact, a certain amount of male rakishness often added to a prominent man’s allure. The alleged womanizing by national legends like Moshe Dayan, for example, was considered part of their mystique.

But the ground is shifting rapidly under the feet of the current crop of leaders as a result of legal and societal changes. This week, the police recommended charging President Moshe Katsav with the rape of two former employees, the most serious criminal allegations ever made against an Israeli leader. And on Tuesday, Justice Minister Haim Ramon went on trial, accused of kissing a soldier against her will.

“When I was in the army it was assumed that the office of every senior officer was essentially a harem for him,” said Michael Oren, an historian and a senior fellow at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem research institute, who served in the military 30 years ago. “Israel is emerging from adolescence into adulthood.”

In 1998 a sweeping sexual harassment law, inspired in part by American legislation, was passed by the Israeli Parliament, making such behavior illegal anywhere, whether in the street or the workplace.

Soon afterward, a major turning point came: the trial of Yitzhak Mordechai , a former general who was Israel’s defense minister and a prime ministerial hopeful. He was forced to resign after being convicted of sexual assault and harassment.

His very public trial followed charges filed by several women who had worked for him in the government and during his long, highly decorated career in the army.

For years trying Israeli leaders for such crimes was unheard-of. The founders of Zionism sought to create “the new Jew” — aiming to transform Jews who lived in the Diaspora, perceived as bookish and weak, into men of muscle and power.

The militarization of Israeli society that eventually followed in the wake of successive wars with Arab neighbors seemed to cement Israel’s male-dominated character. And while that has not changed completely, the question of sexual harassment is getting real attention, especially in the army, which is the epicenter of such activity and the institution with the most influence on the society.

In the last 10 years the army, into which nearly all Jewish 18-year-old Israelis are drafted, has begun intensively promoting awareness of sexual harassment and the consequences that can follow for those who cross the line. Several highly publicized cases in which senior officers were suspected of having sexually assaulted female soldiers made the army’s efforts more urgent.

Many female soldiers work in clerical positions. A senior officer often has several 18- and 19-year-old women serving as secretaries.

The shift in the approach of the army toward harassment comes as it has opened itself up to placing women in roles traditionally thought to be the exclusive purview of men. Women now serve as pilots, artillery crew members, gunnery instructors and officers in charge of men.

As part of the army’s efforts to educate its members about sexual harassment, all conscripts receive a letter during basic training describing the issue and where to turn if they encounter such behavior.

Workshops are held with soldiers and officers to increase awareness, and there is a 24-hour phone line for complaints and advice. Those suspected of harassment or assault are taken before a special committee that has the power to demote or discharge the accused, said Lt. Col. Liora Rubinstein, the deputy adviser to the chief of staff on women’s issues.

Many career officers have lost their jobs that way, she said.

“I can tell you, when I was drafted it was not spoken about,” said Colonel Rubinstein, who has served in the army for 20 years. “It was not part of our consciousness. Officers know now what is expected of them.”

Nonetheless, advocates for women’s rights and others say the hesitancy of many accused men in army and civilian life to acknowledge responsibility is evidence that while the old era may be over legally, much remains to be done so that men understand the new rules.

For example, Mr. Mordechai insisted that he had done nothing wrong. “The more cases we have and the more women stand up and go and complain and are not afraid, there will be a change,” said Rina Bar-Tal, chairwoman of the Israel Women’s Network.

But Ms. Bar-Tal said she was hesitant to declare a social transformation in what was still a patriarchal society. “The law is there and the police abide by the law, and the infrastructure of our legal system is working,” she said. “I see that as a very positive note.”

The high-profile nature of recent cases like that of President Katsav, whose office is largely ceremonial, has made the issue a major topic of public discussion.

“The central ethical issue is the ease with which a respected and authoritative employer can manipulate the confusion, panic and dependence that characterize a young female employee in the public sector,” Avirama Golan wrote in a column in the daily Haaretz titled “All the President’s Women.”

It has also led to broader examination of the country’s history. Old school notions of masculinity were part of being a nation in an almost constant state of war, said Mr. Oren, the historian. “It was all caught up in Israeli machismo, which had a certain role in order to establish a nation at arms,” he said.

Avigail Moor, a psychologist and expert on violence against women in Israel who is chairwoman of the women’s studies department at Tel Chai College, said of the tales of sexual conquest that circulated around some powerful Israeli men, “It was common knowledge that their titles gave them that prerogative.

“It was also made out to look very romantic. Young women serving in these high-status platoons were almost led to believe that it was something that spoke highly of them if they were chosen to be a sexual partner of a high commanding officer.”

The militaristic nature of Israeli society has eased, partly as it feels more secure and partly as Western influence has increased. An effort by the army to prevent its male soldiers from crying at the funerals of their fallen comrades, for example, has failed. In the past such open displays of grief were considered a sign of weakness.

Yael Dayan, a former lawmaker and the daughter of Moshe Dayan, sponsored the sexual harassment legislation. She recalls being mocked during debate on the bill by some male colleagues and constituents. The comments, and the sense of backlash, have not ended, she said.

She added: “At traffic lights people stop me and say: ‘Are you satisfied now? You got the president.’ ”