Arnon Ben-Dror
On Sunday (Mar. 7), President Shimon Peres and the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, visited the IDF Induction Base for the March Golani Brigade draft. President Peres said, “Iran has the intention of ruling the Arab world, using our conflict with the Palestinians as an excuse to cover up the differences between Sunnis and Shiites. Iran is the most anti-Israeli and the most egotistic.”
Peres also spoke about the high demand of combat positions. According to recent data, 76% of recruits request combat positions, and there are 5.8 candidates for each position in the Golani Brigade. The President praised the activities of Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, saying, “The Chief of the General Staff is working to achieve the enlistment of current generation, most of them into the IDF, but those who cannot serve in the military, will also serve their country.”
President Peres also pointed out the importance of, “drafting parts of the population that previously did not enlist, such as the orthodox Jewish population or others.” He emphasized that the differences in enlistment are very serious for Israeli society and said, “Civilian authorities, the educational system, parents and teachers do everything in order to have an army that is loyal to the State and ensures its safety.” Answering a question asked during a press briefing, Peres said that he does not think “that there is any room for criticism of the Chief of the General Staff, who works without detours, from within and without.”
Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi: “A significant revolution in the desire to enlist in combat units”
The Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, emphasized the revolution that has begun regarding motivation for significant combat service in particular and service in general: “In the past year or two, we have observed a significant change in IDF service and a significant revolution in the desire to enlist in combat units.” Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi thanked the Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, all teachers and the media for stressing the importance of the value of national service, and said, “We definitely see results in this field. There is still a lot of work, and we will continue doing it.”
In addition to that, Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi thanked President Peres for advancing a new program, in the framework of which a few hundred combat soldiers of excellence will receive the opportunity to achieve a fast academic degree at the end of their service, in cooperation with the Open University, which shows “appreciation for their service and is an appropriate reward for being great soldiers.” The first cycle of this program will begin this year.