Israel's military manpower shortage has turned into a crisis!

In Israel, "Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews" who refuse to serve in the military frequently clash with the police. The Israeli army is struggling immensely to address its manpower shortage, while Netanyahu does not want to lose the support of the Haredim. The Israeli army is stuck between the government and the Haredim. On the other hand, the "draft crisis" also reflects the conflict between secular Jews and Ultra-Orthodox Jews. European-origin secular Jews, who are an important link in Israel's relationship with the Western world, appear to have largely lost their influence.

Indeed, Israeli President Isaac Herzog noted in a program held in West Jerusalem that a process of "beastilization" is taking place, moving from the peripheries of Israeli society toward the center. Ultra-Orthodox National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post, "A president who describes hundreds of thousands of citizens of the State of Israel as beasts is not worthy of the presidency."

Israel, exploding inwardly, tries to prevent fragmentation by spreading violence outward. However, the division within Israeli society is deepening as young, educated Jews flee the country. Among European Jews, the proportion of Israel-born individuals has increased in the last few years. The migration of Jews to Israel was a Zionist project. Now, there is "reverse migration."

According to a study conducted in 2025 by the Israel Democracy Institute, a significant number of young Jews are considering leaving the country. Forty-three percent of those considering emigration prefer European Union countries. The EU is followed by the US and Canada. Israel is no longer a safe haven for Jews. The fact that flights from Israel continue despite claims that anti-Semitism is resurging in Europe is an indication that Zionism has gone bankrupt.

The share of European-origin secular Jews within Israel's population is gradually decreasing. Meanwhile, the population of fundamentalist Jews is steadily increasing. This change in the population structure is a result of the extremely high birth rate among Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, ensured that Jews studying in yeshivas (Torah schools) were exempt from military service in order to keep Ultra-Orthodox Jews inside the country. These concessions, which were tolerated because the number of Haredim was not very high at the time, have now become an intolerable political phenomenon for secular Jews.

It is said that the number of Haredim refusing to serve in the military constitutes a significant percentage of Israelis of draft age in any given year. Tens of thousands of draft orders are sent, but very few comply with the order. If this situation continues, a serious collapse in personnel numbers is expected by 2027. The failure to address the manpower shortage angers reserve soldiers who are called up repeatedly, as well as their families.

In religious Zionist publications, it is emphasized that those unwilling to serve are not only the Haredim. Religious Zionists complain that the Haredim are being made scapegoats. According to these publications, a significant portion of those who obtain exemptions from military service citing mental health reasons are secular Jews. Likewise, these publications state that obtaining exemption certificates has become a lucrative business for lawyers and psychiatrists.

According to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, 98.5 percent of secular Israelis support imposing sanctions on Haredim who do not serve. Netanyahu's Ultra-Orthodox partners, however, threaten to leave the government if the Haredim are forcibly drafted. Netanyahu's biggest fear is the breakdown of the alliance with the Ultra-Orthodox.

Another issue that secular Jews complain about is that yeshiva students, exempt from military service, do not join the workforce. The budget allocated to yeshivas is also a subject of complaint. Secular Jews describe the yeshivas as "parasites." These factors also play a role in the flight of educated young Jews, an important source of skilled labor, from Israel.

Israel is even considering employing some non-Jewish ethnic groups, including Africans, as "mercenaries" to close its military manpower gap. Such a situation does not seem very acceptable to religious and racist Zionists who emphasize so-called 'Jewish superiority.' In short, emigration, military manpower shortage, and the rift between seculars and Haredim are Israel's nightmares. The Zionists who want to erase Palestinians from their homeland through genocide are also erasing themselves.