It's water under the bridge now.
I have an uncle in Israel, and several cousins (you lose track). He was demobbed during the partitioning. Happened to be seeing a girl at the time - she's still one of the most elegant women I have ever met, so he decided to not come home. Can't blame him, really. They truck farm - irrigation can be a problem, but they have good access to water for most of the year. Every single one of them, male and female, has done their service and are in the reserves.
All they want is to be left in peace. The Arab fundies won't let them, so they do whatever it takes.