Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military is at its minimal size relative to threats and that expanding ranks is an 'operational necessity and a Zionist and moral duty.' He warned against exempting any population from the duty of defending the state, according to N13/Army Radio.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued a direct appeal to the government Wednesday evening against exempting any population from mandatory military service, according to N13/Army Radio. The statement, reported at 19:40 Jerusalem, described the need to expand the military's ranks as an 'operational necessity and a Zionist and moral duty' and warned that the military is at its minimal size relative to the threats facing Israel. The warning builds on earlier remarks reported by N12 at 19:22 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported Zamir's call for a significant expansion of military ranks and his explicit call for Haredi conscription without exemptions. The new N13 report reinforces the same message, with Zamir stressing that the duty to defend the state applies to all sectors of Israeli society.
Zamir has consistently emphasized the need for broader conscription. As The Zioneer reported on June 25, he told an officers' graduation ceremony that the military needs every fighter, emphasizing that 'Israel has no other army.' On July 2, he warned the General Staff that all fronts are in a transitional phase requiring readiness for immediate escalation, and that the military must be prepared to shift from 'zero to one hundred.'
It remains unclear whether the government will act on Zamir's appeal, as the issue of conscription exemptions remains a politically contentious subject, with the Haredi community's exemption long a source of tension. The military's assessment, as reflected in both the N12 and N13 reports, is that current manpower levels are insufficient for the security challenges ahead.
4 developments
- DevelopingIDF chief warns military faces collapse without extended mandatory service
- StrongChief of Staff Zamir: Military must balance diversity with unified framework
- StrongChief of Staff Zamir: Army will integrate all sectors to serve side by side
- DevelopingChief of Staff Zamir: IDF has defeated the enemy on all fronts, at strategic crossroads
Source and signal
- Internal intake