Conclusion

This chapter summarizes the reasons why and in what ways participation in counterinsurgent violence vary. It explains the eager participation of some combatants and combat units in violence while others show considerable restraint or resistance on participating. It also reviews the patterns of violence and restraint in the case of counterinsurgency of the Israeli military in the Second Intifada. The chapter analyzes the Second Intifada that provides a unique opportunity to collect typically hard-to-saccess data on the details of military life at the small unit level, as well as on the nature of conducting combat operations among a chiefly civilian population. It also analyzes the Israeli case that challenged conventional wisdom regarding the behaviour of combatants in conflict, which is often assumed to be homogeneous and violence prone.