Bookstore Glossary Library Links News Publications Timeline Virtual Israel Experience
Anti-Semitism Biography History Holocaust Israel Israel Education Myths & Facts Politics Religion Travel US & Israel Vital Stats Women
donate subscribe Contact About Home

Israel Defense Forces:
History & Overview

Introduction
IDF Doctrine
Society and Service
The Haredi Issue
Terms of Service
Foreign Volunteers

Introduction

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was founded shortly after the State of Israel was established in 1948. It ranks among the most battle-tested and highly-trained armed forces in the world.

IDF logo
Logo of the IDF

The IDF’s security objectives are to defend the existence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the State of Israel, deter all of Israel’s enemies, and curb all forms of terrorism that threaten daily life.

Most IDF soldiers are Jewish, but the number of Christian recruits has steadily climbed since 2012 when concentrated efforts to encourage their enlistment began. The number is still only in the hundreds. In 2019, one soldier was appointed a lieutenant colonel, making him the first Christian to achieve that rank.

In October 2014, the IDF topped Business Insider Magazine’s list of the most powerful militaries in the Middle East and the list of the top air forces in the entire world. A close security relationship with the United States and a booming defense industry gave Israel an edge over the other countries on the list. Israel has one of the most well-tested and battle-ready armies in the world (they have fought in four major engagements since 2006) and can mobilize quickly due to the relatively compact size of the country. The Israeli Air Force was ranked first in the entire world due to their space assets, advanced fighter jets, high-tech armed drones, and nuclear weapons. Chris Harmer, a senior naval analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, was quoted in the Business Insider article stating, “Pilot to pilot, airframe to airframe, the Israeli Air Force is the best in the world.”

IDF Doctrine

To ensure its success, the IDF’s doctrine at the strategic level is defensive, while its tactics are offensive. Given the country’s lack of territorial depth, the IDF must take the initiative when deemed necessary and, if attacked, quickly transfer the battleground to the enemy’s land. Though its enemies have always outnumbered it, the IDF maintains a qualitative advantage by deploying advanced weapons systems, many developed and manufactured in Israel for its specific needs. The IDF’s primary resource, however, is the high caliber of its soldiers.

In preparing for defense, the IDF deploys a small standing army (made up of conscripts and career personnel) with early warning capability and a regular air force and navy. Most of its troops are reservists, who are called up regularly for training and service and who are quickly mobilized into their units from all parts of the country in times of war or crisis.

The IDF’s three service branches (ground forces, air force, and navy) function under a unified command headed by the chief of staff, a lieutenant-general, who is responsible to the Minister of Defense. The government appoints the chief of staff on the recommendation of the prime minister and minister of defense for a three-year term, usually extended for an additional year.

Except when combat duty is involved, men and women soldiers of all ranks serve side by side as technicians, communications and intelligence specialists, combat instructors, cartographers, administrative and ordnance personnel, computer operators, doctors, lawyers, and the like. The IDF is responsive to its soldiers’ cultural and social needs, providing recreational and educational activities and personal support services. Recruits with incomplete educational backgrounds are given opportunities to upgrade their level of education, and career officers are encouraged to study at the IDF’s expense during their service. Integrating new immigrant soldiers is facilitated through special Hebrew language instruction and other programs. Active in nation-building enterprises since its inception, the IDF also provides remedial and supplementary education to civilian populations and contributes to the absorption of newcomers among the population. In times of national crisis or emergency, the IDF responds immediately with appropriate action and assigns trained personnel to fill essential jobs or carry out particular tasks.

Society and Service

Service in the Israel Defense Forces measures involvement in the country’s life. Most men and single women are inducted into the IDF at age 18, women for two years, and men for three, followed by service in the reserves, men up to age 51, and single women to age 24. The IDF announced in November 2014 that starting in July 2015, male mandatory service in the IDF will be cut by four months, with male soldiers now serving 32 months. In addition to this, the compulsory service length for female soldiers is to be extended at the same time to promote equality. During the meeting in which these new service requirements were approved, discussions were also held about raising the salaries of enlisted soldiers.

In July 2024, due to human resource shortages resulting from the Iron Swords War, the Knesset approved the first reading of a temporary provision bill extending military service from 32 months to 36 months, effective until June 2029. This bill, supported by 56 members and opposed by 44, gives the Defense Minister the authority to shorten service for specific units and roles but not below 28 months (or 32 months during the temporary period). Soldiers who serve beyond the mandated terms will receive additional compensation. While Defense Minister Yoav Gallant justified the extension to meet IDF targets, opposition leaders criticized the move as unfair to soldiers already serving. The Knesset has also extended a provision raising the release age for IDF reservists, mandating that regular soldiers serve until age 41 and officers until age 46 to prevent sudden discharge amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Excluding the ultra-Orthodox, the society and army are one, as a broad spectrum of the population serves periodically over many years, with those in and out of uniform virtually interchangeable. Since soldiers often hold ranks that do not necessarily correspond with their status in civilian life, the IDF has become a highly effective equalizer in society and contributes significantly to integrating individuals from all walks of life. The IDF also helps new immigrants during their military service to acclimate to Israeli life in a framework wherein each person is undergoing the same process.

Over the years, the IDF has assumed a variety of national-social functions for society at large, including providing special services for new immigrants, upgrading the educational levels of adults who were denied basic education in their countries of origin, supplying teachers to development towns, assisting in disadvantaged areas, and responding to emergencies in the civilian sector.

Christian individuals living in Israel also serve in the IDF and are actively recruited. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at an IDF Christian Recruitment forum in December 2014 and said, “We are brothers, we are partners – Christians and Jews and Druze and Muslims who defend the State of Israel.”

As of 2024, over 350 Muslim soldiers serve in the IDF, the majority of them in combat units. The Muslim soldiers are mostly Bedouins who enlist voluntarily. Other Arab Israelis — Muslim and Christian — who are exempt from compulsory service have historically avoided the military out of solidarity with Palestinians. In 2008, Lt. Col. (res.) Hisham Abu Raya became the first non-Bedouin Muslim officer in the IDF.

The Haredi Issue

As of 2023, about 50% of 18-year-old men enlist in the IDF; 33% do not, half of whom are Haredim, who are granted deferments while pursuing Torah studies (those who do serve mainly fulfill religious functions) until the age of 26 after which they receive a permanent exemption. Out of respect for their community’s religious commitments, Orthodox women may be exempted (45% are), although many choose to perform 1­2 months of national service in the civilian sector.

Approximately 18% of the ultra-Orthodox community are of conscription age. Only 10% of those who graduate from Israeli state system schools enlist. By comparison, 88% of non-Orthodox Jews enlist.

When the government first decided to allow religious exemptions, it was considered a compromise to win Orthodox support for the state. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion agreed to exempt 400 yeshiva students. Moshe Dayan raised the number to 800. Prime Minister Menahem Begin subsequently removed the ceiling. Since then, the number granted exemptions has ballooned from a few thousand to tens of thousands. Thousands were exempted under pretenses such as lying about their attendance at a yeshiva.

Many Israelis object to the exemptions, which they see as unfair to most people who serve and sacrifice for the country. The debate has been ongoing for years, with the Orthodox religious parties fighting against proposed laws to draft members of their communities.

In 1998, the Supreme Court said the exemptions undermine the principle of equality, which is the very soul of our entire constitutional regime. More recently, the Court gave the government a deadline of July 2023 to adopt legislation to address the issue. The deadline passed without any changes.

When, for the first time, an Israeli government was formed without any of the religious parties in 2021, there was an expectation that the law would be changed to force the ultraorthodox to bear their share of the security burden. The government fell too quickly, however, and was replaced by a new one with the two major religious parties, which threatened to bring down the coalition if the draft was imposed on them. Instead, the government considered lowering the age of exemption to 21 or 23 while increasing compensation and providing other incentives for Israelis who serve. An alternative idea would be for the IDF to choose who it wants to serve and allow the rest to perform community service. The previous government considered lowering the exemption age and establishing a quota for ultra-Orthodox enlistment. The ultra-Orthodox are not satisfied with any of these proposals and want Torah study to be declared the equivalent of IDF service.

After the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, the IDF called up 295,000 reservists. As the war ground on and more soldiers were killed and wounded, many Israelis renewed complaints about the unfair burden they shared while the ultra-Orthodox were exempt from service. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed changing the status quo out of fear that the Orthodox parties would leave the coalition and bring the government down. Some saw this as a bluff as the parties would likely lose power if a new election were held; nevertheless, Netanyahu tried to find a compromise they would accept. The issue became more urgent when a Supreme Court-imposed deadline passed requiring the government to either reach an agreement or begin drafting the Haredim. On April 1, 2024, the Court barred the government from providing funds to ultra-Orthodox yeshivas for more than 50,000 students eligible for the draft. The ruling could affect 1,257 yeshivas.

On June 10, 2024, the Israeli government passed a controversial bill that further extended the exemption of military service for Haredi youth. The passage of the bill drew significant criticism from the opposition. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, broke ranks with his government by voting against the bill. The amendment to the security service law aimed to integrate yeshiva students would incrementally raise the age of exemption, first to 22 after two years, and then to 23 a year later. Ultra-Orthodox youth would be offered alternative enlistment routes with the national emergency and rescue service or a shortened service of three months or three weeks. This would bypass combat roles, which require several additional months of training. At the same time, the bill also introduced escalating penalties for religious schools that failed to comply with enlistment quotas and regulations, starting with a 20% decrease in government funding that would increase with each year of violations.

The effort to continue to protect the Haredim became especially provocative when the government, at the IDF’s behest, sought to raise the age for men required to report for reserve duty. With more than 600 Israeli soldiers having been killed in the war with Hamas, non-religious Israelis wanted the Haredim to bear their share of the burden.

The Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2024,  that the government must conscript ultra-Orthodox men and stop providing financial support to yeshiva students who study instead of performing military service. Under the ruling, an estimated 63,000 Haredi yeshiva students would be obligated to serve. The IDF, however, said it could realistically draft only 3,000 in the 2024 enlistment year that began in June. “The security establishment is obligated to act immediately to implement the ruling to draft yeshiva students who are obligated to perform military service, in accordance with the needs of the army and its capabilities, and in accordance with its commitment to draft 3,000 recruits,” Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon told the army.

The Court's decision enraged the ultra-Orthodox factions of Netanyahu’s government. “The Jewish people survived persecutions, pogroms and wars only thanks to maintaining their uniqueness, the Torah and the commandments. This is our secret weapon against all enemies, as promised by the Creator of the universe,” Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said. He added yeshiva students are “the ones who preserve our special power and generate miracles in the [military] campaign.”

Labor MK Merav Michaeli, representing the secular viewpoint, said, “We must not continue to allow a group of politicians and rabbis to leave the ultra-Orthodox youth behind, to prevent them from enlisting in the IDF and integrating into Israeli society. The ultra-Orthodox leadership wants to keep their power and impose a closed society on the ultra-Orthodox youth. This invalid situation must be stopped now.”

Despite the bluster from some ultra-Orthodox politicians threatening to bring down the government, they were unlikely to risk losing power if they forced new elections. Instead, they focused on trying to pass legislation to continue to exempt yeshiva students from service.

In response to the Court ordering that public funding be cut off from yeshivas whose students fail to enlist in the IDF, the ultra-Orthodox were said to have raised $100 million from donors in the United States. Some rabbis said they would leave Israel with their followers if they were drafted. Other Haredim said they were willing to go to jail to avoid service. Prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis urged yeshiva students not to show up at draft offices or answer any summons. 

IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Amir Baram said on July 9 that the army would like to draft 4,800 ultra-Orthodox men in 2024 – meaning 3,000 new conscripts on top of the 1,800 ultra-Orthodox men already in the military. No definitive plan was made on how to use Haredi conscripts. Most were unlikely to be drafted for combat units, and some form of community service might be presented as an option. Integrating them into the army was not expected to be easy, and they would likely be assigned to their own units where they would have little or no interaction with female soldiers. Some all-Haredi units already exist. Non-Orthodox soldiers could also have the religious values of the Haredim thrust upon them. For example, the army might have to raise the level of kashrut for everyone's food; female soldiers might be forbidden from wearing shorts or instructing or commanding Haredi soldiers.

On July 18, 2024, the IDF said it would send out 3,000 draft orders starting July 21. That is out of 63,000 who are eligible for military service. Of those receiving orders to report to induction centers, approximately 15% are married, while 85% are single, the latter of whom will be mostly sent to combat roles. About half of the potential recruits are aged 18 to 21, another 40% are between 22-23, and 10% are 24 to 26. Those who ignore multiple draft orders will be prevented from leaving the country and may face arrest by Military Police and be taken to military jails.

Very few men showed up after the first 1,000 draft notices went out at the beginning of August, and hundreds of Haredi men protested in front of the recruitment office. Some broke into the Tel Hashomer base. “Breaking into IDF bases is a serious offense and against the law. The IDF condemns the violent behavior and insists that justice must be brought forth against the perpetrators.” the IDF said.

The Haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, led by Yitzhak Goldknopf, has declared it will not support Israel’s 2025 budget unless the issue of haredi conscription is resolved. Though the Knesset began drafting a new law, progress stalled due to haredi leaders’ opposition to drafting yeshiva students. 

Terms of Service

Compulsory Service: All eligible men and women are drafted at age 18. Men serve for three years, women for 21 months. Deferments may be granted to qualified students at institutions of higher education. New immigrants may be deferred or serve for shorter periods, depending on their age and personal status on entering the country.

Reserve Duty: Upon completion of compulsory service, each soldier is assigned to a reserve unit. Men up to age 51 serve 39 days each year, a period that can be extended in times of emergency. Recent policy has been to reduce the burden whenever possible, and reservists who have served combat units may now be discharged at age 45. Less than 4% of those aged 22-45 serve in the reserve forces.

Career Military Service: Veterans of compulsory service meeting current IDF needs may sign up as career officers or NCOs. The career service constitutes the command and administrative backbone of the IDF. Graduates of officers’ or pilots’ schools or special military technical schools must sign on for periods of career service.

Foreign Volunteers

Volunteers have come from around the world to fight for Israel since the War of Independence. Today, the IDF features soldiers from more than 70 countries, with over 1/4 of these recruits coming from the United States. These soldiers are known as lone soldiers and are placed in the same category as Israeli recruits who do not have a support network (orphans) and Israelis whose parents are not in Israel year-round. 

The first group of Chinese Jewish IDF recruits from Kaifeng, China, joined the IDF in 2014. In August 2017, the IDF announced that, for the first time, volunteers from Honduras and Thailand attended their summer training session. Most foreign IDF recruits in recent years came from France.


Sources: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“IDF to cut male soldiers’ service time next year,” Times of Israel, (November 11, 2014).
Noah Shpigel, “Netanyahu Lauds Christians Serving in Israeli Army,” Haaretz, (December 15, 2014).
Alona Ferber, “Israeli Army Cites Rise in Number of Overseas Volunteers Joining Its Ranks,” Haaretz, (April 22, 2015).
Michael Freund, “From Kaifeng to the Kotel: Chinese Jews in Jerusalem,” Jerusalem Post, (August 8, 2015).
Jeremy Sharon, “French citizens comprise largest number of foreign IDF volunteers in 2016,” Jerusalem Post, (July 27, 2016).
Anna Aronheim, US Youth Lead the Charge in Volunteering for the IDF, Jerusalem Post, (August 7, 2017).
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, “Onward Christian Soldier: Life as a Non-Jew in the IDF,” Breaking Israel News, (January 8, 2019).
Rotem Shtarkman, “‘It’s a Question, Whether the Jewish People Are Capable of Being a People With a Country,’” Haaretz, (September 28, 2023).
Kalman Liebskind, Assaf Lieberman, “The issue is no longer forbidden: Are Israeli Arabs more willing to enlist in the IDF?,” Kan, (March 20, 2024). [Hebrew]
Sam Sokol, “The High Court’s yeshiva funding ruling goes into effect today. What does it entail?” Times of Israel, (April 1, 2024).
Michael Starr, “Gallant applauded as he votes against his coalition's haredi draft law,” Jerusalem Post, (June 10, 2024). 
Jeremy Sharon, “After court ruling, AG tells IDF to immediately start drafting 3,000 Haredi students,” Times of Israel, (June 25, 2024). 
Sam Sokol, “Ultra-Orthodox parties slam ‘dictatorial’ High Court for ruling Haredim must enlist,” Times of Israel, (June 25, 2024). 
“Rabbis said to raise $100 million in US for yeshivas facing cuts over IDF draft ruling,” Times of Israel, (June 26, 2024).
Yaniv Kubovich and Noa Shpigel, “Israeli Defense Chief Approves IDF Plan to Send Draft Notices to Ultra-Orthodox Men Next Month,” Haaretz, (July 9, 2024).
“Top rabbis order yeshiva students to ignore IDF call-ups amid brewing coalition crisis,” Times of Israel, (July 11, 2024).
Eliav Breuer, “Government extends age cutoff for IDF reserve duty amid heavy criticism,” Jerusalem Post, (July 18, 2024).
Emanuel Fabian, “IDF: Draft orders will be sent to 3,000 potential Haredi conscripts most likely to show up for duty,” Times of Israel, (July 18, 2024).
Yaki Adamker, “Israel on its way to temporarily extending mandatory IDF service,” Jerusalem Post, (July 18, 2024). 
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Eliav Breuer, “IDF haredi draft call-up falters as protests and legal challenges disrupt recruitment efforts,” Jerusalem Post, (August 6, 2024).
Gianluca Pacchiani, “Taboo of Arabs in the IDF is slowly crumbling, says first Muslim non-Bedouin officer,” Times of Israel, (September 9, 2024).
Eliav Breuer, “Goldknopf – UTJ will not support 2025 budget without haredi IDF draft bill,” Jerusalem Post, (September 11, 2024).