While Israel prefers to obliterate the 1948 Nakba from its historical memory despite being the perpetrator of Palestine’s ethnic cleansing and colonisation, the same cannot be said for the origins of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Last month, Israel celebrated the 75th anniversary since the military’s  establishment. The order was signed by David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, on 26 May, 1948, legitimising the violence of the Zionist paramilitaries by incorporating them into the colonial state’s military institution. Israeli media glorified the IDF’s establishment and the concept of the “people’s army”, which was coined to illustrate conscription and the links between the military and society. Ynet news carried brief testimonies of the IDF’s former soldiers from 1948, glossing over … Continue reading The IDF’s legacy, 75 years on