Manipulations
I think for most of us, during routine times, we go through our daily lives with injections of news and updates about local, national and international happenings.
During periods of conflict, uncertainty, and stress, the news and updates can take a place of dominance in our lives. What is happening, where, what can I do about it if anything (and usually the answer is not much).
However, it is easier during these periods to get a sense of how the media works and/or is manipulated, to achieve certain goals. During quieter times it plays on the subconscious but during war it is no longer subliminal, but flashes into our conscious observation.
Case in point, here in Israel, is the rise of the issue of the draft for yeshiva students. It has been an issue for 75 years, at times creating a lot of debate and ambivalence, at other times it is nowhere to be found in the public discourse. I am not saying it is not a national issue. It is. However, it often rises at certain times for political purposes.
I sense this is the case now. It is an attempt to refocus the public, especially the left and center, on a new hook upon which to hang the blame. Blame for the failings of the army. Blame for the failings of the current and past governments. It is another way to try and create discord between the haredi and national religious and another attempt to bring down the current coalition.
The intelligence services did not fail to understand Hamas’ game or see the coming onslaught because of the draft issue. The army did not fail to prevent the breaching of the fence and the slaughter of Israelis (and foreigners) because of the draft issue. The security forces have not failed to prevent Hamas and Hezbollah from building and acquiring literally hundreds of thousands of missiles because of the draft issue. Nor have they failed to prevent the Iranians from running rampant across all these theaters because of the draft issue.
The army has been down sizing for decades. They cut the officer corps by 10% and the reserves by 30%. Why were there so few combat helicopters on October 7th? Because the IDF cut, going from 4 squadrons to 1. Who needs them when you have drones. This is true in armor as well. All of this is part of the Gideon Multi Year Plan which the IDF adopted in 2015 to restructure its forces given its assessment of current enemy operations and combat needs.
For years the IDF has allowed Gazans to riot at the fence, attempting to burn it, cut it, destroy it in a multitude of ways, always testing the IDF response. That response has been dictated in large part by the Israel Supreme Court’s decisions, consistently restricting IDF action.
Take all of the above and add to it the military and political doctrine of “Allowance” which allows the Palestinians to violently “blow off steam” without incurring consequences and you have a recipe for disaster.
That recipe has nothing to do with the drafting of yeshiva students. In fact, the army did not want them and it is arguable that they do not want them now.
So, again, as we listen to the news and reports, remember that, while an issue, it is not the issue. Given the current circumstances it would not make my top 10.
Those who are pushing this narrative are providing support to our enemy’s war objectives, prolonging the suffering of the hostages and chipping away at our most valuable national resource, Unity.
Meir