Facing mounting deaths, injuries, and exhaustion among its troops in its ongoing war in Gaza, while desiring to escalate the war in Lebanon and beyond, the Israel government began in July to expand conscription to include “ultra-orthodox” men who were previously exempt. That plan, in its first month of implementation, seems not to be going well for the government.
Less than one percent of the men who have received the new draft orders have reported for military service. Also, protests against the draft effort have emerged in the affected communities. If the resistance stays strong, the Israel government will likely find its new manpower expansion initiative is both counterproductive to its war effort and to the stability of the nation. Read more about this resistance in a Thursday The Cradle article here.
