The survey published by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) showed that for the first time, more secular Jewish Israelis favor scrapping the compulsory draft than retaining it, making waves for a day or two. Then, like most stories that have an abridged shelf life in today’s relentless news cycle, it disappeared from the front page.
However, the long-term ramifications of this changing trend in public opinion were a subject of vigorous debate at the annual conference of the Center for Security and Democracy in Jerusalem.
When the IDI first posed this question in a 2017 survey, 59% rejected the notion of transitioning from mandatory army service to a professional army, and just 38% said yes. Each year since, those margins have narrowed. Their newest poll, released at the conference, now shows 47% of all Jewish Israelis now support a professional army compared to 42% who favor keeping the draft system intact. Chareidim (80%) were the most supportive group while the national-religious public (32%) were the least supportive.
The survey shows that the longstanding debate over compulsory army service is no longer a battle between the Zionist ideal and the chareidi lifestyle. It has infiltrated mainstream Israeli society and is a trend politicians can ignore only at their own risk.
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