IOF to Recruit Haredim into New Reserve Force Amid Manpower Shortage

By Al Mayadeen English

The Israeli occupation forces are looking to form a new reserve force that consists of volunteers and soldiers who have reached exemption age, due to the troop shortage they are facing.

Israeli media revealed on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation army is pushing for the formation of a new force, the 96th Division - David Division, due to the scarcity of troops responsible for various security tasks. 

Amir Bohbot, the military correspondent for the Israeli Walla news website, explained that the force would consist of soldiers who have reached the age of military exemption and volunteers, including Haredi Jews. 

According to the Human Resources Division, the number of soldiers in the force could reach up to 40,000 after the military exemption age was raised by two years. 

Bohbot further noted that the Haredim might be drafted in reservist brigades, then battalions, while simultaneously maintaining their lifestyle. Volunteers could also be enlisted with the reservist force.

What is the force like? 

Reserve Major General Moti Baruch, who was the commander of the Rehabilitation and Training Command in the Armed Forces, the commander of the Staff Corps, the commander of the Habilda (Steel) Division, the commander of the Aidan Division, and the commander of the Nahal Brigade, was selected to form the 96th Force, Bohbot relayed. 

The new force's recruitment center, according to Bohbot, would enlist fighters, commanders, and officers from the combat formations of infantry brigades, special units, engineering, and corresponding security organizations, trained as rifle marksmen 07 and above. A combat support force will also be recruited, including soldiers and officers from a variety of professions.

He explained that the division was described by the general staff as a light division, which means that it would not be supplied with armored personnel carriers and tanks.

In this context, Bohbot pointed out that this step may correct an error made by the general staff, which dismissed quite a few soldiers who had not reached the age of exemption over the past decade, and who could have contributed to the ongoing defense and security tasks.

Desperate times, desperate measures 

Previously, Israeli media reported that the military was looking to establish a new reserve force amid a dire need for thousands of recruits. 

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had informed the occupation government that the Israeli occupation forces required 15 more battalions because of the severe shortage among their ranks, the Israeli army radio reported. 

On his part, the head of the National Unity Party in "Israel", Benny Gantz, said that "Israel's" security requires more soldiers, while the head of the Israeli Labor Party, Yair Golan, called for the mandatory conscription of all Israelis. 

The Israeli Army Radio also reported that the army reserve units began searching for volunteers to fight through advertisements on WhatsApp, as the war enters its ninth month.

No more choices for the Haredim

Amid a severe shortage and desperate need for soldiers, the Israeli High Court of Justice's nine-judge panel unanimously voted on Tuesday for the conscription of Haredi Jews into the military, and the halt of all subsidies and funds allocated for institutions that do not comply with the ruling, according to the Jerusalem Post. 

As the Haredim have been relentlessly protesting against the occupation government's decision to impose a mandatory draft into the military on the community, a drastic change in the political atmosphere in "Israel" could be anticipated, even leading to new elections. 

The Supreme Court's decision will be immediately applied, unlike a precedent made in April, which endured delays for fund freezing until August 8. 

For decades, ultra-Orthodox men of military age have avoided Israeli army conscription by enrolling in yeshivas for Torah study and obtaining repeated one-year service deferrals until reaching the age of exemption. In 2017, the High Court ruled such mass exemptions illegal and discriminatory. Subsequent occupation governments have attempted without success to devise new legislation to address the issue while seeking repeated deferrals from the court.