No Hurrays for Berets: Israeli Army Admits Defeat

The Israeli army has admitted defeat in an eight-year battle to force its soldiers, known for their casual appearance, to wear berets.

An army statement said that beginning Sunday, soldiers would be allowed to carry the unpopular headgear folded beneath their left epaulet, except during parades, official interviews and public events.

Thus ended a guerrilla war between draftees and military police launched in 1979 when then-Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan ordered that berets be worn at all times in a drive to increase discipline in the military.

Eitan was notorious for stopping his car at hitch-hiking shelters on Israel’s major road junctions and personally penalizing bare-headed soldiers.