A swearing ceremony of  Kfir Brigade soldiers at the Western Wall
A swearing ceremony of Kfir Brigade soldiers at the Western WallAbir Sultan /Flash 90

A plurality of Israelis say the IDF should end its mandatory universal draft, and instead become a voluntary professional military force, a new study shows.

The survey, conducted by the Rafi Smith Institute and published by the Israel Democracy Institute, found that support for mandatory universal army service has fallen significantly over the past five years, sliding from 59% in 2017 to just 41% in 2022.

Nearly half (47%) of respondents back the IDF becoming a professional, voluntary force, up from 38% in 2017.

Majorities of Israelis in all age cohorts under 55 back the change, while middle-aged and older Israelis were the least likely to support the move, with just 31.5% of Israelis over 65 and 40% of Israelis 55-64 in favor of a volunteer army.

Fifty-one percent of Israelis 18-24, along with 57% of Israelis 25-34, 51% of Israelis 35-44 and 51% of Israelis 45-54 support switching to a volunteer army.

Despite significant support for an end to the draft, a plurality of Israelis oppose blanket army exemptions for haredi yeshiva students, with just 40% of respondents supporting a new law exempting haredi men who studied in yeshiva until the age of 22. Forty-nine percent of respondents opposed such a bill.

A majority of Israelis (54%) support allowing women to serve in elite combat units, compared to 35% who disagree. Among secular Jews, 72% support opening up elite units to women, compared to just 19% of Religious Zionists and 17% of haredi respondents.

The overwhelming majority of Israeli Jews (71%) say Israel should use the death penalty on terrorists convicted of murder, up from 63% in 2018. More than half (55%) even back killing terrorists at the scene of attacks, even after they have been neutralized, up from 37% in 2018.

Nearly half (45.5%) of Israeli Jews support bombing civilian centers in Gaza in retaliation for rocket attacks.