National security crises and voting behavior: The intifada and the 1988 elections

National security issues have always been prominent on the political agenda, and are perceived as having the most influence on Israel’s future. The public’s attitudes toward these issues have traditionally been vital factors in political behavior in general and voting behavior in particular. While the basic consensus facilitated the democratic functioning of the political system, the varying attitudes toward the controversies-in particular, toward the handling of the intifada-had a clear influence on voting behavior. The 1988 elections took place against the background of the intifada. Although the Palestinian uprising in the territories was not an international war, it nevertheless engaged Israel in protracted military-type hostilities. The dependent variable is the respondent’s vote in the 1988 Knesset elections. The independent variable is the respondent’s attitude toward the use of military force against the intifada. There are five socio-demographic variables: age, education, ethnic origin, degree of religiousness and social class. Socio-demographic variables were less significant than were the multidimensional hawk-dove variable.