With Volunteer Service, Nothing to Argue About

If people don’t want to serve in the IDF, they don’t have to!

(they will just not get paid)

The solution is: don’t even try to draft Haredim, Arabs, peaceniks or anyone else who do not want to serve. Don’t draft anyone.

The important thing is that all Israeli citizens should be treated equally and all, Arabs, Haredim, peaceniks and anyone else would be welcome to serve in the IDF if they wish ( and if they are fit to serve).

But Israeli Armed Services benefits must be critically important for young people, because Israel needs most young people to serve. The proportion of volunteers to the total numbers of their age group must be several times higher in Israel than in the US.

The way to achieve this would be to cover completely the cost of higher education and a considerable part of the cost of the first apartment or house they buy. For those who choose vocational training or business there should be help too. The incentive should be so high that most will serve.

There would be less money left to support young people who do not serve

But they should not complain, because the IDF would welcome them if they choose to serve. If they choose not to, they would need to find alternative ways to support themselves.

Everyone should register for selective service

Selective service means that if the draft will be reinstituted in case of national emergency, some or all of those who registered will be drafted. These are the American rules for selective service:

“Who Must Register with Selective Service

Almost all men age 18-25 who are U.S. citizens or are immigrants living in the U.S. are required to be registered with Selective Service. U.S. law calls for citizens to register within 30 days of turning 18 and immigrants to register within 30 days of arriving in the U.S.”

(In reality this never happened so far)

The result: a better society

Unequal treatment of people by the government is like poison that destroys the ties between different groups. There is envy and resentment.

All this will be gone once anyone is treated the same and the outcome, whether to serve or not to serve, depends on their own choice.

The Army, Navy and the Air Force will become even more professional

Professional military are different from recruits. They care about their service the same way people care about their jobs.

This is especially important for highly specialised tasks at sea or in the air. In the distant past there were recruits on warships, but now the level of training required is such that this is no longer possible.

As Israeli Navy progresses from small boats near the coast to larger warships that can go farther out, the need for professionalism will become clear.

Volunteer service became the standard for developed nations and Israel should not be left behind.