Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued an internal warning to the Security Cabinet on Wednesday night, telling senior officials that the Israeli military is operating under unsustainable strain and declaring that he is “raising 10 red flags” and that the army is “collapsing in on itself.”
Zamir’s remarks, delivered during a closed cabinet discussion, reflects mounting pressure on the IDF from multiple directions simultaneously: an overwhelming operational tempo, the crushing burden on reserve soldiers, a prolonged failure to pass a conscription law, extended reserve duty tours, and, in the background, the political demands accompanying the establishment of new settlements.
The comments landed like a thunderclap in Israel’s political arena, drawing immediate and sharp responses from opposition leaders who accused the government of willful negligence.
“The Chief of Staff is warning of the collapse of the IDF, and the government is ignoring it,” said Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and chairman of the Yesh Atid party, placing the responsibility squarely on the current government’s shoulders.
Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, now a political figure himself, warned that the political leadership would not be able to claim ignorance, and called for the immediate advancement of a compulsory military service law applying to the entire population — a pointed reference to the exemptions currently afforded to Chareidi men, which have become one of the most explosive fault lines in Israeli society.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett put a number to the crisis, saying the IDF is short approximately 20,000 soldiers. “What on earth are you waiting for?” Bennett said. “A government that depends on Deri and Goldknopf is incapable of providing security for the State of Israel.”
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the secular nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, was equally blunt. “The Chief of Staff warns that draft-dodging harms Israel’s security, but the government ignores it once again,” he said. “The IDF is facing the most severe manpower crisis in its history — we must enlist everyone.”
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11 Responses
Chareidi (and Arabs) who support Zionism do join the army. Those who don’t are those who oppose the concept of a zionist state and would prefer a return to the status quo ante prior to 1914 under which Jews had restricted civil rights, but complete autonomy to live as frum Jews. Drafting disloyal people and giving them guns is dumb. The government should give Hareidim the same benefits, and charge the same taxes, as they do to Arabs who don’t serve in the army.
Israel current has no allies (the USA is a co-belligerent, a non-ally fighting a common enemy, cf: US/UK co-belligerents after Italy switched sides in World War II). What few friends it has among the goyim, are goyim who approve of a Jewish state – not one that actively persecutes people who are “too Jewish”.
I wonder if they have a point! We need to discuss with gedolei Yisroel
@ccb45
You have it totally backwards. If not for the Torah learned there, the wicked heretics would have zero protection even if they had 100 million soldiers.
The point is that the Israeli army is controlled by leftist army elite as well as its leftist Supreme Court and that’s why soldiers are misused. For example why did the war in Gaza take so long. Because instead of just stopping all food and fuel shipments and letting the enemy starve to death as well as cause the civilian population to attack and loot Hamas , they caused almost a thousand dead israeli soldiers. They could have had no dead israeli soldiers as they would bomb from the air. The army lefty elite are busy blowing up empty buildings. Seichel vee a katz
There are 20’000 chiloni draft dodgers who should be drafted first!
If you wouldn’t persecute the chareidim, the problem would solve by itself – as we have seen multiple times over the past 2 1/2 years, it’s HASHEM protecting us NOT the IDF!
>>> Those who don’t are those who oppose the concept of a zionist state and would prefer a return to the status quo ante prior to 1914 under which Jews had restricted civil rights, but complete autonomy to live as frum Jews.
You can prefer whatever you want but it delusional to think you actually have that choice and option.
@HaKatan
We can have both. Bochrim learning in Yeshiva until marriage. Who says everyone goes to Kolel? In america—most people work… Isn’t it so?!
akuperma, why go back to 1914? go to Hevron in 1929.
DavidtheKanoi, are you completely unaware of the requirement for hishtadlut.
Flatbush yid, why do you not go to Iran with your compatriots; they need Monday morning quarterbacks
DrYidd: Why go back to 1929? Everyone hated the Brits (the reason they never held an election in Palestine is that the only thing Jews and Arabs agreed, it was that the Brits were a pain – in fact in 1919 the Zionists, Hareidim and the Arabs worked out a plan for a Jewish homeland within an Arabic state being created out of the Ottoman Empire- and the Brits blocked it).
Under the Ottoman, the Hareidim had communal autonomy, which was worth more than political rights (no right to vote for most Chareidim, but control of our own schools, charities, courts and substantal economic freedom as long as we “knew our place”, and prior to 1913, no conscription). Also note that if you hold that the Medinah is NOT a valid Jewish state (not created or run accordingly to halacha), then the zionist soldiers are the “rodfim” (pursuers) and Jews should refuse unlawful order to attack Arabs who are defending themselves – SO DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CONSCRIPT SOLDIERS WITH THAT ATTITUDE? WHAT WILL YOU DO IF THEY TAKE THE GUNS YOU GIVE THEM AND DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST THE MILITARY POLICE WHOM THEY SEE AS RODFIM?
So because of all the sins and irreligious people that we have to constantly fight Arabs which are our punishment, not some natural phenomena, we should start to bother all the people that are doing actually what Hashem wants from us all along. Bad strategy
Dr…: Yes, The 1st Hishtadlut is; STOP THE PERSECUTION OF CHAREIDIM AND BNEI TORAH!
The IDF has made its Hishtadlut in Gaza for 30 months now, and still didn’t get very far; Hamas still strong and controlling!
4 weeks of Hishtadlut in Iran and rockets still raining down. etc