Illustration: Sivan Schwam

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“Every Hebrew mother must know that she has put the fate of her sons in the hands of commanders who are worthy of the charge.” Attributed to Ben-Gurion, that quote is engraved in bold, golden letters on the wood-paneled wall of the General Staff conference room in the Kiryah in Tel Aviv.

That motto looms large in the photos every new prime minister releases from his first meeting with the IDF general staff. He sits at the head of the table beside the IDF chief of staff, with major generals down the table to his right and left, with the motto on the wall behind him, above emblems of the state and army.

More than anything else, the statement reflects the IDF’s apolitical status over the 75 years since the founding of the state. Mothers who accompanied their sons to the recruiting office saw IDF commanders as worthy of their sacred trust, believing that their only consideration would be the security of the state and the welfare of the recruits.

Last weekend, even that motto became a political weapon in the battle over judicial reform. Billboards and full-page newspaper ads carried Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s portrait above the Ben-Gurion quote, in a provocation against Netanyahu, Levin, and the right-wing bloc.