New crisis for Israeli military

By WND Staff

Editor’s note: In partnership with Stratfor, the global intelligence company, WorldNetDaily publishes daily updates on international affairs provided by the respected private research and analysis firm. Look for fresh updates each afternoon, Monday through Friday. In addition, WorldNetDaily invites you to consider STRATFOR membership, entitling you to a wealth of international intelligence reports usually available only to top executives, scholars, academic institutions and press agencies.

Israel’s military reserve corps, the backbone of the Israel Defense Force throughout the country’s war-torn 52-year history, is facing a crisis, reports STRATFOR, the global intelligence company.

A growing number of reservists, the service reports, are protesting and failing to show up for duty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. An outgrowth of a societal shift, trouble in the part-time ranks will cause Israel to rethink its military structure and raise questions about public support for Tel Aviv’s recent military foray into Palestinian territory.

Israel, more than any other nation, relies heavily on reserve soldiers, who make up a majority of its 500,000-strong standing army. In addition to three years of mandatory active service for men and two years for women, part-time service in the military commonly lasts well into middle age with reservists serving one month a year, often in front-line units.

But trouble is in the ranks. A series of groups representing Israel’s military reservists have called on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to take steps to improve widespread disaffection among the nation’s part-time soldiers, who are critical of Israel’s defense strategy and the IDF’s methods of recruitment. The Israeli government, in response, has pledged to take several immediate steps to address their concerns.

Still, the disillusionment among Israel’s military reservists, particularly the younger generation, is likely to continue as Israeli society evolves. As a result, Israel will have to reassess the IDF’s long-term ability to provide an adequate defense and take steps to guarantee it. Such a major shift will not be easy, and Israel has a long road ahead. The first obstacle could be finding enough soldiers to mount continued operations, with fresh troops, in the Palestinian territories.

As Israeli society has matured, its increasingly Westernized citizens have begun to view military service as a burden, and those who do their duty are commonly referred to as suckers. According to the IDF’s Behavioral Sciences Division, 67 percent of reservists believe Israeli society encourages them to dodge reserve service.

Since the uprising in Palestinian territories, an estimated 600 reservists that refused to show up for duty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been jailed anywhere from two weeks to a month.

Meanwhile, an estimated 2,500 have gone absent without leave and thousands of others have probably fabricated medical or personal reasons to avoid duty, according to the IDF. Still more are repeat no-shows, and the IDF has given up trying to force them to do their duty as a result.

The reservists’ concerns are numerous and widespread. Some are disillusioned by the rising number of religious Jews who are exempt from mandatory military service, placing greater responsibility on the largely secular part-time soldiers.

Still others maintain that Israel’s ongoing battle against the Palestinians is unjust and more dangerous than the home front is willing to tolerate. Many of them do not see ongoing operations achieving anything of value, nor do they fear, at least not yet, that the Palestinian uprising threatens Israel’s future.

But the reserve crisis in Israel will force Israel to reassess the IDF’s long-term ability to defend the country. Without a large reserve force to pacify the territories and in the event of another regional war, Israel will have to adjust its armed forces and defense strategy accordingly, including taking steps to support a larger active-duty force.

Military leaders are also likely to rely more heavily on the reserves they have if there are fewer of them and on attracting immigrants as a way to bulk up the part-time force. Such steps, for the first time, will draw the Israeli public and the military, which have effectively been the same, further apart.

This does not mean that Israel’s military deterrent in the region will degrade. Faced with another Arab-Israeli war, the Israeli public at large, including reservists, would rally on behalf of the country.

But military leaders have begun to see what’s on the horizon.

“So far, the reservists are mature and responsible,” Brig. Gen. Avinaom Lowfer told Israel Radio in early April. “But eventually they won’t show up. Everyone predicts that. It is the most realistic assumption.”

Apart from prompting a long-term re-evaluation of its military structure, Israel’s reserve crisis could in the near term adversely affect ongoing military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, increasingly in need of reserve re-enforcements.

If the street battles continue indefinitely, as many security experts predict, Israel could find itself in a bind as more and more reservists refuse to show up for duty, particularly those called up for their second or third stint since the violence erupted last year. The result will be an overworked Israeli military that plays into the Palestinians’ favor.

Related story:


IDF concerned over reserve resentment


Get a discounted annual STRATFOR membership.