The issue of the relationship between civilian power and the military is of major concern in every democracy. However, it is even more meaningful in Israel. The country is engaged in an enduring conflict with its neighbors, and it maintains a large army that has waged seven wars in six decades. Numerous authors have stressed the dangers posed by the excessive influence of the generals and have even suggested a risk of "praetorianism." This paper demonstrates that this influence is greatly overestimated and that civilian power has always preserved its ability to turn down proposals by the army and to make decisions without soliciting opinions from the generals.