Yedioth Ahronoth revealed the seriousness of the acute crisis facing the Israeli army in recruiting a sufficient number of elements to join its ranks, in light of its involvement in wars on multiple fronts.

The Israeli newspaper highlighted the refusal of the Orthodox Jewish (Haredim) group to perform military service, and attempts to enact a new law in the Knesset that would enshrine their exemption from it, in addition to the increasing extent of evasion and medical exemptions granted to candidates for it.

The newspaper's military affairs analyst, Yossi Yehoshua, confirmed that military estimates indicate that the army urgently needs 7,000 soldiers, but it finds it very difficult to reach this number.

He pointed out that "the army has been seeking to recruit about 3,000 Haredim (religiously ultra-Orthodox Jews) since last August, but actual statistics reveal that these plans are facing clear obstacles."

Yehoshua goes on to detail the reality of the crisis facing the army, saying, “The data shows that the target number may not be easily achieved, as last year only 1,200 Haredim were recruited out of about 13,000 candidates for military service.”

Categories and excuses

“With the demand for additional forces increasing, the army issued 3,000 draft calls to the Haredim last summer, distributed among several age groups. The calls were divided into the following categories: About half were directed to Haredim under the age of 21, while 40% of the calls were directed to recipients up to the age of 23, and the rest to those eligible up to the age of exemption from military service. However, only 240 individuals showed up for the draft, which is equivalent to only about 8% of those called up,” the military analyst added.

But the statistics on a broader scale are even more alarming, according to Yehoshua. “The data is clear: In recent years, 33%, or one in three of those required to enlist (excluding the Arab public), did not make it to military service, 15% dropped out during their service and never entered the reserve group, while the number of beneficiaries of medical and mental health exemptions jumped from 4% to 8%. During service, this excuse is the most common in cases of discharge from service.”

The military affairs analyst also highlighted another angle to the Israeli army's crisis, which is the evasion of reserve soldiers - who constitute the army's backup force - from service.

Yehoshua cited statistics that said there were 18,000 combat reserve soldiers who did not show up when called up. He quoted Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor as saying, “These were serial evaders who could not be brought in by force,” and recommended “a radical change in the pay and recognition programs for those who serve, significant benefits for those who serve more, and a loss of rights for those who do not serve at all.”

In addition to the above, Yehoshua recalled a report by Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth stating that “the Israeli combat system has suffered further erosion due to the significant decline in the qualifications of the men who are recruited,” noting that “every year in recent years there has been an average decrease of 1% of all those who are recruited.”

The army fails to achieve its goals

The military affairs analyst concluded that the army would not be able to achieve its recruitment goals based on these numbers, "since recruiting 9,000 Haredim as planned may not be possible with continued low attendance rates."

To overcome this challenge, the military leadership recommended increasing the target quota for the Haredim to several thousand more. However, this recommendation requires the approval of the political leadership and instructions from the Minister of Defense.

Therefore, Yehoshua believes that “increasing the number of fighters recruited for compulsory service is a very important element in filling the ranks, in light of the number of dead and wounded in the war, and of course easing the burden on the outdated and nervous reserve system.”

Therefore, he calls for "the creation of a new regular battalion, which can provide an average of 12 months of operational work for reserve battalions, especially when you see fighters serving a triple-digit number of reserve days per year, it is necessary for them to breathe air."

“This issue could lead to tensions in the political leadership, as it has become clear that Defense Minister Yoav Galant could find himself replaced, especially if he is unable to gain sufficient support for the new recruitment policies,” Yehoshua says.

He concludes his article by saying, “Analysts expect that a new defense minister will be chosen who is more compatible with the requirements of the ruling coalition, without Israel witnessing large numbers of Haredim joining the military service.”