The Numbers Don't Lie
The Unspoken Truth: Why Nobody Wants to Enlist in the IDF
From the "National Anesthesiologist" to the retreat from captured ground: Why Netanyahu’s indecision is draining the motivation of a generation that refuses to die for a stalemate.
It is no longer a secret. It is not even a rumor anymore, the data is screaming from the headlines of every major newspaper in Israel. People do not want to stay in the IDF.
The decline in motivation for reserve and extended service have dropped significantly throughout all ranks, and consequently, there is a severe shortage in soldiers.
Simply put: People do not want to enlist in the IDF.
There are several reasons for this.
If one were to be particularly cynical, or perhaps wildly perceptive, one might argue that Netanyahu has refused to achieve a decisive victory in any of the seven fronts of this "War of Revival" precisely to dampen the motivation of the Ultra-Orthodox to enlist.
And perhaps that is the case.
Because the cold, hard truth is that no one wants to join an army that does not win.
And Israel’s army, under the leadership of Netanyahu, lacking the ability (or will) to decide any front, is an army that is not winning.
On the flip side, we are not currently in a state of visible defeat or immediate existential danger.
Therefore, no one is rushing to "save the homeland" when the homeland does not appear to be crying out for salvation.
Indeed, Netanyahu, our "National Anesthesiologist", does not inspire motivation. An army that retreats from almost every location it has conquered does not inspire a willingness for self-sacrifice.
History tells the story best.
After the Six-Day War, enlistment was at an all-time high because people wanted to be associated with a winning brand.
After the Yom Kippur War, enlistment was also massive, but for a different reason: people wanted to ensure that such a catastrophe would never happen again.
But now? Now that Israel has dragged out the campaign endlessly without achieving a decisive result, it seems people are simply fed up.
They are looking for something more decisive, something more meaningful in life than being part of an organization that merely sits on the fence.
An organization that is capable of retreating without a victory.