Israel as Sparta? Show me the soldiers

The army desperately needs more soldiers. Lots more.

Next week Netanyahu has to pass the state budget or his gov't falls.

But to do that he needs to pass the haredi draft dodging law --the haredi parties hold this gov't by the kishkes. They’re serious about this: if Netanyahu’s coalition doesn’t pass the draft law, they’ll leave Netanyahu’s coalition, and the gov’t falls.

But, as fate would have it, we're neck deep in the biggest longest hardest bloodiest most uncertain war we've ever had here. It's like 1948 all over again, but longer, and there might be nukes in the end.

The army’s new chief Eyal Zamir calls it “multi-front war of attrition that will be here for many years.”

Bottom line is, the army desperately needs more soldiers. Lots more. Forget about the “small but smart” IDF. Zamir’s job is to build a big army that can achieve “Total Victory”.

However, if Netanyahu passes the haredi draft dodging law, many regular reservists might not show up when called up. This is already happening. Men in their 30’s and 40’s, family men, business owners, employees, just men, can’t keep on going like this. Some of them have served over 300 or 400 days since 7 Oct 2023. Reservists —hard working, tax paying, army serving people—and their families are at breaking point.

If Netanyahu passes the haredi draft dodging law, some parents might not let their kids show up for their intakes.

Not an ideal situation given the overall context, right?

The war in Gaza is ramping back up; more soldiers needed. There's even talk by this gov't of annexing Gaza territory for every Israeli hostage Hamas murders; more soldiers would be needed to manage that.

Also, there's the 5 outposts currently manned in South Lebanon, plus a couple in South Syria, for an as yet undetermined period. Maybe forever? Lots of soldiers needed to rotate in and out of all those.

A whole new Division has also just been created to beef up the border along Jordan. Most of this “David Division” will be manned by older reservists, men in their 40's and 50's who have already served their quotas and then some. They’ve long been released from reserve duty. Some are even in their 60s.

Oh, and while we're in the Jordan area, there is another hot war brewing in the West Bank, with lots of soldiers in and out of Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, and other areas every night. Border Police too. The West Bank, AKA Judea and Samaria, is a massive front, potentially bigger than all the others. Unless all the others go boom and we find ourselves fighting in the alleways of Beirut and Damascus (MANY MANY soldiers will be needed for that!)

With no political solution in the West Bank horizon --in fact it looks like we could be heading to annexation there also--we're going to need lots more soldiers there too.

And then there's Iran. 2025 could be the last year we are “able” to go to war with a non-nuclear Iran. By next year, it may be nuclear war.

So, maybe not a good idea to let haredi boys not become soldiers?

But it's either that or Netanyahu loses his coalition, and with that, his ability to control the tempo of his various trials and court appearances.

Netanyahu is stuck between a rock (must pass the budget) a hard place (the haredim who don't want their boys in the army), and a cliff (all-out war, everywhere, all the time, for a long time).

Stay tuned folks, what happens next could get really interesting!