What type of army did Mofaz run? I guess Ehud Barak isn't the only former IDF head who deserves blame.
Netanyahu had a strong, stable coalition even before Mofaz joined it, and Mofaz's anorexic Kadima Party certainly isn't a necessary ingredient in the Israeli Government.
My comparing Mofaz to a disgruntled athlete calling "kill the ref" is pretty close to the issue, since the Plesner of the Plesner Committee, which had been asked to find a solution for drafting yeshiva students, is a Kadima MK.
Netanyahu announced earlier this week that he no longer recognizes the mandate of the Plesner committee. But MK Yohanan Plesner, of Kadima, chose to issue his report anyway. (complete article)
Mofaz's demand is more than ideology. But there's a much more important point, aspect to the question of the place and requirements of chareidi former full-time yeshiva students which is being totally ignored by Mofaz. In all honesty, I'm in shock that a former Ramat Cal, IDF Head could demand that thousands of unmotivated, many less than minimally fit men should be forced to become soldiers in our army.
As the mother of soldiers who now do the reserve duty, no matter how inconvenient it may be to their businesses, jobs and personal life, etc I don't think of soldiers as numbers, pawns to be shoved into just any place. There are a great number of jobs a soldier can do, but still it is sometimes very difficult for even the most motivated young man or woman to find the right one in terms of what he/she can do and what the army actually needs.
The IDF cannot suddenly process and place thousands of additional potential soldiers. The drafting and recruitment for all practical purposes of more strictly Torah observant soldiers demands changes in the army, and I'm not just talking about food.
Again I ask what type of army did Mofaz run, because proper and suitable use of manpower is the key to a strong effective army.
I have this awful feeling that the Mofaz-Plesner agenda is not for the good of the nation nor the army. It's to punish the chareidim:
Those who dodge service would be subject to what has been termed "personal sanctions," and would have to pay heavy monetary penalties and the full rate of monthly National Insurance fees. They would also be denied the monthly allowances yeshiva students currently enjoy. Eventually, the state would be able to file criminal charges against those who choose not serve.Plesner's committee has put more thought into how to penalize the chareidi (but not the Leftist) "draft dodger" than how to best use the talents of the chareidim in the IDF and make them feel that they are contributing to the good of the Jewish Religion and People.
A draft dodger would face a 7,500 shekel ($1,915) fine at first, and then a 75 shekel ($19) fine for each day that goes by without serving. Also, they would lose the monthly allowance of 500 to 900 shekels ($127 to $178) they receive from the Ministry of Religious Services. Their yeshiva or kollel would also be de-funded to a certain extent. Currently, yeshiva students pay a reduced rate of 110 shekels ($28) for National Insurance services and enjoy a guaranteed income supplement because they spend most of their time in school, but draft dodgers would lose these benefits, as well as child allowances, housing subsidies and tax benefits. (complete article)
Taking all this into account, I'd say that for the good of the State of Israel and the IDF-Israel Defense Forces, I'd feel a lot safer with Shaul Mofaz further away from power. Let him quit!!!
11 comments:
That assumes Mofaz has principles.
I'm no fan of Netanyahu but at least he isn't running around threatening Mofaz with the "its my way or the highway" stance.
Talk like to your spouse and you're quickly headed for the divorce court.
Jews are supposed to be the smartest people in the world. But then they show everyone how they're at their ugliest and then they look for the most expensive, divisive and impractical solution possible. Which is what if you can call it that, passes for Jewish logic in Israel these days.
Why do Jews have to validate every any anti-Semitic stereotype on earth with such narrow-minded and uncivil behavior? There's a real solution to the Tal Law mess and that is to abolish the draft.
Those who want to serve can if they want to and the IDF doesn't have to force people who are less than enthusiastic about military service to join it.
Israel would be better off with an all-volunteer army but instead some of Israel's politicians are demonstrating how craven and stupid they can be!
They're an embarrassment to the Jewish people and their State.
We're smart when it comes to other people's problems, dumb in terms of ours. We haven't recovered from the millenium of abuse.
It seems to me that the problem is mandatory IDF service. It's time for the IDF to evolve into a professional mercenary army rather than a peoples' army. Our national disunity would then be greatly reduced and we'd have a more motivated, effective, and efficient army.
Sara Layah, I disagree. I think that mixing the various sectors of Israeli society is very important.
I think it's systemic, Batya. The mix isn't working well. Either by design or choice, there is a separation among the diverse sectors. This is weakening us - time for a new recipe.
Sara Layah the army is a lot more Jewish than before. I'm sure you've made challah, we're at the disgusting mushy yeast stage. Keep your faith. the mix is crucial to the defense of the nation.
I am not saying the army isn't Jewish. I am saying it's not a professional army. That their are segments of society and individuals not willing to enlist is cause for concern and creates disunity among the diverse segments of our population. I think the IDF would do well to establish a professional army with a professional salary.
The way I see it, military service isn't for everyone. There are other ways to serve the country. A professional army would allow for this without making military service into a divisive issue.
>> t's time for the IDF to evolve into a professional mercenary army
"mercenary" means (inter alia) "foreigner". So already we know that our interlocutor here is on a completely different plantet - a space cadet, as we say in the US miltary. And has certainly never been on the wrong side of 50 pushups, or a uniform inspection.
What's more, the Israel Navy and Israel Air force have LARGE professional components. And the Army ground forces are also not controlled by draftees or reservists.
None of the above is secret information.
we professional Navy people (of any country) can usually depend on our "bullshit meters" to detect nonsensical ramblings from people who never been further than 50 meters from the shoreline in a yacht. Sarah Layah, you're pegging my bullshit meter.
> The way I see it, military service isn't for everyone
==enjoying== military service is not for everyone. Like the US Navy, the IDF was not established to cater to anyone's enjoyment.
Which is why I am a lot less sympathetic to claims from the "hareidim" that they require special consideration. The sky will not fall down if they don't get "mehadrim" food for three years; onbly their rebbe's fee-income will decrease. The sky will not fall down if they have to learn how to field-strip and clean a Tavor from a girl with uncovered elbows. The only thing that will fall down will be the rebbe's ability to talk them out of inter-marrying with some horrible girl..... you know, the ones (say for example) with unbroken Yemenite-Judean bloodlines who still speak with the same accent King David did. Can't allow those intermarriages, can we?8 Pandock
Alan, your point about the word "mercenary" is correct, but your rant about chareidim isn't at all welcome nor correct.
Sara Layah, Israel does not have a large enough population nor are our neighbors peaceful enough to have an American type of "professional army." Also, it's midiryTa, from the Torah that all must serve in milchemet mitzvah which the modern meaning is defensive war. all of our wars are defensive therefore a mitzvah.
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