A new, independent survey shows secular, left-wing youth are
much less motivated to serve in the IDF. In today's world,
receiving an exemption is a common affair, and is easily
forgiven in mainstream society. Even New Profile, a movement
working to end mandatory service in Israel, is already
legally recognized, and the IDF is finding it difficult to
hide the incriminating information.
According to the findings of the survey, in 1998 65 percent
of 13- to 18-year-olds were willing to serve in combat
units, but in 2000 that figure plummeted to 53 percent.
Significant shifts were also reported in assignment
locations. In 1998, 23 percent of those surveyed declared a
preference to serve close to home, and in 2000 that number
rose to 34 percent. In 2000, 6 percent of those surveyed
said they did not want to serve at all. The older the
respondent--for whom the questions were less theoretical--
the more negative the attitude.
The IDF was alarmed by the results of the survey. An army
personnel officer asked Yuval Porat of Geocartography, who
headed the survey, not to publish its findings. The IDF used
to be the first to publish this type of survey figures, but
today that policy has changed drastically. Apparently the
IDF has reached the conclusion that the numerous reports
about decreased motivation have been damaging to the
army.
The IDF ceased to be a compulsory army long ago, and in
practice is essentially a volunteer army today. Those who do
not want to serve can easily avoid induction.
A more stringent weighting of the figures also shows that
the number of soldiers who fail to finish the three years of
service prescribed by law currently exceeds 50 percent. The
IDF can no longer boast it is an army of the people. Even
among Jewish soldiers, for every three 21-year-old males who
completed three years' of service, there are two more who
did not.
Dr. Reuven Gal, who was chief psychologist for the IDF from
1976 to 1982, has a theory of his own. "The trend has been a
steady decrease in motivation that can be clearly traced,"
he says. "An increasing percentage of youth will not serve
in the army in the coming years. This is the reality."
Gal says the nation's leaders must address this issue and
try to develop civilian service options. Meanwhile the army
maintains that the ease with which exemptions from military
service can be obtained today stems from the vast
improvements achieved in the evaluation system. Today there
are more clauses and criteria that can be used to release
soldiers and candidates for induction, and more illnesses
are diagnosed, particularly mental illnesses.
All the upper-class Ashkenazi soldier has to do is to put an
apathetic, introverted or depressed look on his face when
appearing before the Mental Health Officer in order to
convince the Physicians' Committee that he does indeed
suffer from a mental or emotional imbalance.
Only the issue of chareidi "draft dodgers" continues to keep
myopic national leaders awake at night.
