In a speech at Latron yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. harzi halevi Strongly supported the People’s Army model. He is clearly on target.
Halevi said, “For 75 years, the People’s Army model has proved without a doubt that there is not and should not be an alternative.” “This is the secret of the IDF’s strength, the secret of the country’s strength.”
“For 75 years, the People’s Army model has proved beyond doubt that there is no alternative and there should be no alternative. This is the secret of the strength of the IDF, the secret of the strength of the country.
harzi halevi
Halevi commented on the launch of a project called “Walking the Paths of the IDF”, in which soldiers will participate in a heritage march following important routes in the IDF’s history.
What is the IDF’s People’s Army model and what threatens it?
people’s army The model is based on the idea of Israel’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, that the IDF should reflect all sections of the country’s population. Ben-Gurion believed that the army should be a melting pot that would create social cohesion among Israelis from diverse backgrounds and create a national identity.
Because the regular army is relatively small, according to this model, it draws reservists from the entire population. One of the primary objectives of the People’s Army model was for the army to be apolitical, in order to serve as a powerful force that functions above politics.
This is particularly relevant in light of the controversial government new draft bill This would reduce the exemption rate for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) males from 26 to between 21 and 23. Under the proposal, yeshiva students would be exempted from military service to join the workforce at an early age. Currently, many choose to continue their religious studies until the age of 26 in order to avoid service.
on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu A high-level meeting was called in Jerusalem to discuss the new bill. Government officials said the new bill would also include an increase in the amount of compensation and benefits for those serving in the IDF.
A senior military official told reporters at a briefing that the law would be acceptable as long as the IDF remained in the People’s Army, adding that “all sections of the population, including the Haredim, are forbidden to violate the balance of the draft”. ” The official explained that the army has developed special tracks for Haredi soldiers, including Nahal Haredi, in which soldiers from ultra-Orthodox backgrounds serve.
Addressing his Yesh Atid faction in the Knesset on Wednesday, opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary to include a new proposal to exempt Haredim from military service. called for conversation. Lapid criticized the government’s “national expropriation law”, claiming it was an “attack on Israel in the name of Judaism”.
Currently, about a third of young Israeli men do not enlist in the IDF, about half of them from the Haredi sector, which is exempt from duty under the current draft law, which expires on July 31. About 45% of women do not serve. military on religious grounds, although many do civilian national service instead.
jerusalem postIsrael’s political correspondent, Eliav Breuer, reported that the leaders of the Haredi parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – have insisted that the prime minister honor his coalition agreements with them and that the new state budget come up for vote before Pass the draft bill. , till May 29.
under a proposal by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich Called “a new social contract for burden sharing”, the government will prioritize equality in “economic burden” over “military burden”, while reducing the length of IDF service and providing benefits to IDF soldiers. will reduce inequality. , Currently, Israeli men are expected to serve at least 32 months and women at least 24 months.
Israel cannot allow the People’s Army model to weaken. It is important for both the security of the state and social integration. We urge the government to build an unbiased national consensus on a new draft bill based on that model. As Halevi told the soldiers, referring to the IDF heritage march, “We will put on our uniforms and leave all disputes outside so that Israel’s citizens and its youth know that we have a common denominator – the security of the state. ”