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Adultery not an offense in Israeli army
June 27, 1997
Web posted at: 6:39 p.m. EDT (2239 GMT)From Correspondent Jerrold Kessel
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Adultery can get a U.S. military officer court-martialed. But if such a law were applied in Israel, there might not be an army left.
Not only is adultery not a punishable offense in the Israeli Army, some analysts and military officials even suggest an active libido makes a good officer.
That's why people in Israel were baffled about the case of Kelly Flinn, the first U.S. female B-52 bomber pilot, who left the military amid accusations she had an affair and lied about it.
Adultery -- a badge of honor? In Israeli Army, some suggest an active libido makes a good general.
2 min, 30 sec VXtreme video
Amnon Dankner, a columnist for Ha'aretz newspaper, says outlawing adultery would threaten the country's national security.
"Overnight, we would have no officers left in the army. Everyone would submit their resignation. We'll be left with some religious soldiers -- that's all," he said.
Famous general, famous adulterer
Comprised mostly of draftees, the Israeli Army has a small permanent officer corps and represents a cross-section of the society's 18- to 21-year-olds.
Israel's most famous soldier, the late Moshe Dayan, is also widely considered the nation's most famous adulterer.
"Think what we would have lost if Moshe Dayan had been fired -- a chief of staff who won the Sinai War and a defense minister who won the Six Day War," said Dankner.
Dayan's daughter, Yael Dayan, agrees. She says the fact that her father was a recognized philanderer did not harm his reputation or his country.
"Someone who is disloyal to their wife, or a woman who is disloyal to her husband, doesn't mean they will be disloyal to their country," she said, adding that it can even boost an officer's career.
"It's not an issue because society not only tolerates adultery when men do it, it's point scoring."
Not an offense
"The offense of adultery -- we see it in Israel just in the Bible. There is no offense like that, not in the military and not in any other place," said Col. Elinat Ron, a chief army prosecutor.
Lt. Shira Bar-Yosef symbolizes the new direction for women in uniform. The 21-year-old lieutenant oversees the final phase of an officer's course in the Army's disaster rescue unit. Seven of her nine trainees are women.
She doesn't seem phased by adultery in the military. "Maybe it's okay and maybe it's not. But we can't allow it to decide if a man or a woman can or cannot get a job," she said.
- Message Board - Military Sex Scandals
- Newsmaker Profile: Kelly Flinn - Newsmaker Profile
Related stories:
- Air Force pilot will not get honorable discharge - May 22, 1997
- Air Force: 'no intention of granting honorable discharge' - May 19, 1997
- Pentagon panels to examine adultery, gender issues - June 7, 1997
- Army rape case renews debate on coed training - April 30, 1997
- Pentagon chief defends mixed-gender military - May 18, 1997
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