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The IDF reports a rise in Druze conscription to approximately 85%, with Arab Christian enlistment reportedly tripling over the past year.
By Shula Rosen
Enlistment rates among Israel’s minority communities, including Druze, Bedouin and Arab Christians, have significantly increased since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, according to military officials, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The Israel Defense Forces report a rise in Druze conscription to approximately 85%, with Arab Christian enlistment reportedly tripling over the past year.
Bedouin enlistment also remains consistently high, and a small but growing number of Muslim Arabs from cities such as Nazareth, Ramla and Sakhnin have joined voluntarily.
Officials attribute the shift to regional instability and violent incidents that have affected minority communities directly, including missile attacks and targeted violence in Syria and near Israel’s northern border.
The IDF’s unit for minority recruitment notes that motivation among minority youth has increased, particularly in northern Druze villages where support for service has grown visibly, according to the Jerusalem Report.
The enlistment surge contrasts with ongoing political tensions over mandatory ultra-Orthodox military service, which continues to divide the Israeli government.
Despite this, minority soldiers are taking on a growing role within the IDF and broader Israeli society.
Arab citizens, who make up about 21% of Israel’s population, are also increasingly represented in civilian sectors, including medicine and higher education. They comprise roughly a quarter of doctors and nurses and close to half of all pharmacists, according to government data.
Israeli officials view the growing participation of minorities in national institutions as a significant development amid broader social and political challenges.
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