ISRAELI E NEWS
Wasting the good army
Filed under IDF/Military, Opinion Editorials, Israeli society -
Half the country screams at draft dodgers. The other half dodges the draft. Naturally, Arabs are not fond of serving in the Israeli army; it's not even about it being a Jewish army, but the primitive people's dislike for any kind of organization. Palestinian Arabs revolted against Ibrahim Pasha in early nineteenth century over the conscription. Conscripting them, however, is the best way to crush their opposition to Israeli regime; as a bonus for Jews, Israeli Arabs should be forced to fight their Palestinian brethren. Leftists imagine Israeli Arabs loyal to the state & fine, let us see their loyalty. As a minimum, let Arabs dig trenches along Israel's border with Egypt. Or keep march them from Galilee to Eilat and back. Whatever.
Haredi Jews, derogatively called ultra-Orthodox, are a similar matter. They exploit the original agreement with Ben Gurion which is now irrelevant. Ben Gurion lifted draft requirement for just 400 students of yeshivas; now all haredim are students. Their religious justification, that studying the Torah takes priority over other societal obligations is nonsense: most are not full-time students and anyway can disrupt their studies for two or three years for the army service. Besides, Jewish society just doesn't need so many rabbis. Hillel and Maimonides somehow managed to work, and certainly modern haredim can follow in their steps. The dodging is also immoral, as haredim enjoy the armed protection of the very Israelis they consider sub-Jews. And haredim do need the protection: the first modern pogroms in Palestine started in nineteenth century, well before the advent of Zionism. If they don't need the protection - go settle in Hebron or Schem under Abbas' jurisdiction.
But draft dodging raises a deeper problem. Theoretically, I won't blame the parents who cut their child's finger to prevent him from joining the IDF. What's the point of army service today? For the past twenty-five years, Israel uses her soldiers as small coins to pay the world media. Israeli soldiers are sent into the unnecessarily dangerous urban battles instead of levelling the enemy towns from the air; in WWII, urban battle in Krakow was the lone exception. Israeli soldiers fight strategically useless battles, such as in the Second Lebanon war' last days. Israeli soldiers engage strictly for the PR effect, as in the targeted assassinations and arrests in the enemy territory. Israeli soldiers conduct senseless missions, as the perpetual incursions into Gaza. Israeli soldiers are used against their own people, evicting teenagers from ramshackle "illegal outpost" houses. Israeli soldiers are made the cannon fodder, brainless pawns, and traitors. I can understand the parents who hate sending their children to such an army; of course, most draft dodgers won't go to any Israeli army.
Wasting, losing Jewish lives is the depth of immorality. Our morality doesn't extend to saving Amalek's life. A Jew who died in vain is the national shame and tragedy. But few Jewish soldiers died after the 1973 for the higher end of national wellbeing; most died for no good reason. Arguably, the 1973 war was for no good reason, too, but because Golda Meir's government failed to pre-empt or employ nuclear weapons.
I'm a liberal. Not a libertarian or socialist, but the liberal with deep respect for Jewish life as long as that life vaguely conforms to Jewish values. I would never accept Jews dying for political ends. For values, yes. For national survival and even welfare, yes. But not for the state's needs. I would even accept Jews living as an autonomous community under Muslim rule in Judea, if that saves Jewish lives. Israel that relinquishes to Arabs Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Judea and Samaria, Hebron and Schem, and accepts 40% non-Jewish population, does not need statehood. Such Israel can as well accept dhimmi autonomy, relinquish sovereignty, and let the Jews live everywhere, even in the currently dreaded occupied territories of Judea and Samaria. The socialist atheist State of Israel is worse for Jews than a decent autonomy. We could pull that out a century ago, and Muslims would have welcomed us. Unfortunately, this way is closed for the foreseeable future. More soldiers are killed in retreat than in attack, and Muslims would slaughter the Jews if we abandon our military posture now. Too much hatred has accumulated to allow our Arab enemies the upper hand.
Should we possibly save Jewish lives by abandoning Israel and moving into the Diaspora? That would save lives, but extinguish Jewish lives through assimilation. Dying Jewish is a preferable option to peacefully marrying a Gentile.
In the framework of Jewish values, there is no alternative to the very strong army. In any other framework, I won't care about Jews.
Obadiah Shoher is the author of "Samson Blinded,a Machiavellian view of the Middle East conflict," and the accompanying blog.Samson Blinded, which advocates a ultra-hard-line Israeli approach to Arab nations. Shoher denies ethnic-blind democracy and argues for expulsion of Arabs from Israel. He rejects democratic process , and calls for violent opposition to police efforts at removing the illegal settlements, dismantling the Israeli army and fully relying on nuclear response to counter possible Arab aggression. Shoher's real identity is unknown but he is believed to be an Israeli politician, writing under the pen name, "Obadiah Shoher".
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