Arab soldiers are currently serving in the Israeli army

Israeli Arabs are normally exempt from the military service that is compulsory for all. However, throughout the years hundreds have enrolled in the IDF, albeit their numbers have been insignificant.

In recent years, this tendency has shifted, and in 2021 more than a thousand Muslim Arabs served in its ranks. With Israel’s operation in Gaza hitting the six-month mark, the international community is putting pressure on officials in West Jerusalem to end the war.

Mass demonstrations against the war have become common in such states as the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Netherlands.

The positive perception of Israel in the USA has gone down from the previous 68% of 2023 to the current 58%, the lowest rating in over two decades.

A similar trend has also been registered in Arab states, where Israel’s reputation has dropped, with 89% rejecting the idea of normalizing relations with Israel because of its bloody military campaign in Gaza.

Interestingly, though, this was not the case inside Israel within its own Arab population.

In November 2023, shortly after the bloody attacks of Hamas on the country’s southern communities, where at least 1,400 people died, a poll revealed that 70% of Arab Israelis felt a connection to the state and that the problems of Israel concerned them too.

In comparison, in June of 2023, only 48% of Israeli Arabs had expressed such a view. This designed sentiment has also translated into a boost in the number of Israeli Arabs who enrolled for military service.

Israeli law doesn’t impose service in the IDF on Israeli Arabs, who make up some 20% of the total population. Yet, throughout the years, some members of the community have served.

In recent years, however, more and more Israeli Arabs have opted for the military. While in 2018 and 2019, only 436 and 489 Arabs served in the IDF, respectively, in 2020 more than 600 wore the uniform.

By 2021, the number of Arab soldiers had reached over a thousand, including in combat units, while the raging war in Gaza has given another boost to the numbers. But the more the war in Gaza goes on, the more difficult it becomes to justify it.

The number of casualties in Gaza has already surpassed 30,000 people. Thousands of others are wounded, many others are unaccounted for, while 80% of buildings have been partially or totally destroyed. More than a million Gazans have become internally displaced.

Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023 social media has been packed with viral videos of Israeli fighters ruining furniture, looting property and humiliating civilians – actions that have caused an international uproar.

But, it is important to remember that the spirit of the IDF – from the lowest ranking soldier and to the highest ranking officer – is different. We are considered to be one of the most moral armies in the world and we do our best not to harm civilians.

The statistics, however, show a different picture. Of the 30,000 people dead in Gaza, 10,000 were Palestinian (terrorists) as per the IDF. The remaining 20,000 were civilians, especially women and children.

RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2024.