Emunah Elon - author, former Advisor to Prime Minister on the Status of Women, and wife of the Tourism Minister - comments in Maariv today on the news that 1/3 of Israel's youth does not serve in the IDF:
"Innocent Knesset Members, or those who pretend to be innocent, expressed astonishment and shock when the head of IDF Personnel announced that 1/3 of the youth does not serve in the army. 'Large portions of Israeli society are detached from the ethos that is called the State of Israel,' cried out MK Ephraim Sneh (Labor) - and his colleagues wrung their hands in distress, as if he had said something new…
"Why should the youth enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, given the fact that they have been told over and over since they were children that 'peace' is just around the corner, and that the best protection is diplomatic negotiations? Why should they want to waste three good years, when they are told that Israel can't defend herself anyway, and that only the U.S. can protect us - on condition that we agree to 'painful concessions'? Whey should they endanger themselves in war when they hear that in the War of Independence we 'perpetrated crimes,' in the Six Day War we 'captured territories,' in the Yom Kippur War there was a 'failure' [as found by the subsequent Commission of Inquiry], and that in Peace for Galilee we got 'stuck in the muck of Lebanon'? And why should they entrust their lives in the hands of their officers and the government, when they keep on hearing that commanders and governments have sent many soldier to their 'unnecessary' deaths?"
"Only a third of those who don't serve are hareidim, who believe that they can best serve the country by studying Torah. The others don't serve because of various forms of 'lack of suitability' - and the question is how many of those who do serve will continue to find themselves suitable in this mixed-up situation of detachment from the Zionist ethos into which they are growing up… A nation that is convinced with all its heart that the land on which it lives is its homeland, is one whose individuals are willing to give of themselves on behalf of that homeland… The youth would not be so egotistical if they were not being constantly persuaded that 'there's no point to all these wars' and that 'we cannot defeat terrorism militarily' [as was said only this morning by former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Matan Vilnai, a Labor MK - ed. note]…"
"Innocent Knesset Members, or those who pretend to be innocent, expressed astonishment and shock when the head of IDF Personnel announced that 1/3 of the youth does not serve in the army. 'Large portions of Israeli society are detached from the ethos that is called the State of Israel,' cried out MK Ephraim Sneh (Labor) - and his colleagues wrung their hands in distress, as if he had said something new…
"Why should the youth enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, given the fact that they have been told over and over since they were children that 'peace' is just around the corner, and that the best protection is diplomatic negotiations? Why should they want to waste three good years, when they are told that Israel can't defend herself anyway, and that only the U.S. can protect us - on condition that we agree to 'painful concessions'? Whey should they endanger themselves in war when they hear that in the War of Independence we 'perpetrated crimes,' in the Six Day War we 'captured territories,' in the Yom Kippur War there was a 'failure' [as found by the subsequent Commission of Inquiry], and that in Peace for Galilee we got 'stuck in the muck of Lebanon'? And why should they entrust their lives in the hands of their officers and the government, when they keep on hearing that commanders and governments have sent many soldier to their 'unnecessary' deaths?"
"Only a third of those who don't serve are hareidim, who believe that they can best serve the country by studying Torah. The others don't serve because of various forms of 'lack of suitability' - and the question is how many of those who do serve will continue to find themselves suitable in this mixed-up situation of detachment from the Zionist ethos into which they are growing up… A nation that is convinced with all its heart that the land on which it lives is its homeland, is one whose individuals are willing to give of themselves on behalf of that homeland… The youth would not be so egotistical if they were not being constantly persuaded that 'there's no point to all these wars' and that 'we cannot defeat terrorism militarily' [as was said only this morning by former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Matan Vilnai, a Labor MK - ed. note]…"