More than two in three eligible Israeli military conscripts volunteer for combat duties, new data found. According to the March draft figures leaked to the media Sunday, 69.5 percent of conscripts with the appropriate physical attributes asked to join Israel Defense Forces fighting units, a slight rise over the 68.7 percent volunteerism registered a year ago. The figures suggest that the setbacks in last year’s Lebanon war did not harm morale in Israeli military ranks. Indeed, the most popular combat unit is the Golani infantry brigade, which saw extensive combat with Hezbollah and suffered scores of casualties during the conflict. Golani reports 2.7 applicants for every one of its available positions.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
