MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Yisrael Eichler feels the solution is not to draft chareidim but to change over from today’s people’s army to a professional military. Eichler is confident this is the way to eliminate the chasm between various sectors of society that exists in Israel today.
“There are two wars ongoing in Israel today. One against the Arab threat and the second is cultural, against Toras Yisrael and a Jewish lifestyle. One genuinely interested in security may only accept suitable candidates into the IDF. This is the decision of the security experts and not the secular cultural commissars.”
“The conscription law demands drafting everyone including those who are not fit to become combatants. Conscription of all results in an added burden on the fighting forces, food and the defense budget, billions wasted for soldiers who do not contribute to national security. The elimination of the compulsory draft will destroy the demagogic base for the anti-chareidi elements who wish to use the IDF in their war against Jewish culture. A cultural war in the army would deliver a fatal blow to the military’s ability to win over the Arab world. Syria and Libya are examples of this,” Eichler stated.
Eichler stressed by eliminating the compulsory draft and hiring a professional army, releasing those who cannot do the job, “billions will be saved”.
“A people’s army is a term used to create a melting pot of secular culture. We must gradually become a professional army with a mission of security and nothing else, as is the case with the paid career IDF and the senior brass. Releasing the extraneous soldiers will free a great deal of funding to provide a fair wage for soldiers.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
This is the only solution that will prevent the self-destruction of the current regime and society in Eretz Yisrael. It will be popular among “right” parties such as Likud and Bayit Yehudi that are getting reluctant to support mass imprisonment of the yeshiva world, and whose rank and file would benefit from better pay and benefits in the army. It will also be popular among those on the left who object to military service. It also would mean that Hareidim who intend to be Baal ha-battim would be free to get real jobs without being conscripted. It will also result in a more competent army. It will be opposed by those for whom conscription of yeshiva students was seen as the last chance to destroy the hareidim community before its demographics become so strong as to be unbeatable.
Unfortunately the manpower needs of the Israeli army, both regular and reserve, are much greater than what they could ever hope to fill with volunteers.
rkefrat – hardly. Note that they don’t have trouble getting volunteers for combat units (even though the combat units involve minimal economic incentives,and often disincentives such as longer tours of duty and fewer benefits). There are plenty of indications that most of those who don’t want to be combat soldiers, the “jobniks” are doing the equivalent of leaf raking.
It’s been 60 years since Israeli strategy involved handing out rifles and telling soldiers to charge machine guns. Modern warfare is high tech, requiring training and a skill set not found in short term, unhappy, conscripts.
Rkefrat,
Upon what basis do you say that? Do you have access to the official data specifying the required levels of manning for mission execution? Surely it is not news to you that Israeli society views military service as a great social equalizer, and an inherently valuable rite of passage. The larger issue is that the frum velt’s unwillingness to embrace military service is interpreted as a kind of kefira by the secular Israeli establishment. Indeed, Israel probably could transition to an all volunteer, professional army and allow those who object to military service to do so on the grounds of being “Conscientious Objectors.”
#2
That makes for a good laugher
#2 See Feiglin above