WhatsappWhen Benjamin Netanyahu visits the new Israeli recruits to the IDF, he knows full well what they are doing. He did it himself and served in the most elite units in the Israeli Army He fought in the Yom Kippur War and in many secret battles.
Serious Stuff
The faces of the young recruits provides alot of inspiration. These young people understand that there are many reasons to be concerned. In Israel, service in the army does not include the question of whether or not there will be danger involved. It is a given that once they put on the uniform, they enter into a danger zone. In truth, the entire country is dangerous. So, the difference is that now they enter into a state of defending the people and the Land of Israel.
IDF Soldier Stats
When the State of Israel was declared back in 1948, there were around 650,000 Jews in the fledgling State of Israel. Nearly every Jew fought. But Israel had a sore lack of weapons. So, they made do with whatever they had. 19 years later, in the Six Day War, the State of Israel had around 2.5 million Jewish residents and 600,000 soldiers – including the reserves. That was when Israel liberated the Old City of Jerusalem and reunited the city of Jerusalem after 19 years of Jordanian occupation.
Mandatory Draft
Today, the State of Israel boasts nearly 7 million Jewish residents. There is still a mandatory draft. However, there are already a minority of voices who support a professional army and a non-mandatory draft. One of the many reasons why so many object to this idea is that the Israeli Army is the melting pot of the State of Israel. So, for social reasons alone, many object.
One idea that has been floated is more of a hybrid idea. Instead of a mandatory 2.5 years for males and 2 years for females, perhaps a 1 year mandatory service for all, and a professional army for the rest will be the best idea of all. The melting pot would continue. Enormous savings from shorter service could be used to incentivize more professional soldiers. Interesting idea, but it seems that Israel is many years away from something like this.
