The new rift
Ouzi Ben Nohn argues that the central rift in Israeli society is set to shift from the division between "Jews" and "Israelis" to a division between those who serve and those who do not. He criticizes the casual attitude of politicians, especially in Religious Zionism, toward the reserve duty issue, and warns against ignoring the profound change that has occurred in Israeli society since October 7.
In an opinion piece on ynet, Ouzi Ben Nohn argues that the central rift in Israeli society is about to change. While in recent decades the main rift was between "Jews" and "Israelis," in the coming years it will be between those who serve and those who do not. Ben Nohn sharply criticizes the attitude of politicians, especially Bezalel Smotrich and Religious Zionism, toward the reserve duty issue. He attacks the promise "we will miss reserve duty" and the idea of reducing reserve days to thirty per year, claiming this is a half-joking approach to a critical issue. He extends his criticism to Yair Golan and opinion pieces explaining why drafting Haredim is a fiction. According to him, these criticisms rely on misconceptions of economic efficiency and fear of "militarism," but a professional army cannot meet Israel's security challenges. He argues that October 7 and the war changed the Israeli DNA and reactivated the ethos of commitment and service to the state. He states that this change has already occurred in Israeli society, and the question is which politicians will translate it into a deep structural change in the issue of burden sharing.