Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the Israel Defense Forces, the combined military forces of Israel.
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Fast Forward IDF Conscription Rate Falls 3.5% Over 5 Years
— The rate of enlistment into the Israel Defense Forces has dropped by 3.5 percent over the past five years, army sources said. In 2016, the IDF saw the conscription of 72 percent of people who are initially listed as duty bound to serve in the military, Army Radio reported Wednesday. Among the 28 percent…
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Israel News My Son’s Killer Is on Trial and No One Informed Me
The video is infamous: In March an Israeli sergeant shot and killed a Palestinian who had already been lying for several minutes in the street, wounded and neutralized, after being shot while stabbing and wounding another soldier. Now, Abdul Fattah Sharif’s death is in its long second phase — the sergeant’s military trial. And though…
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Fast Forward Israeli Military Razes West Bank Shelters Built by EU
JERUSALEM — Israel razed five buildings in the West Bank constructed without permits, including three built by the European Union. Forces from the Civil Administration tore down the buildings Tuesday in a Bedouin village near Hebron. A day earlier, three others were razed near Jericho. The buildings taken down Tuesday housed 27 Palestinians, including 16…
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Life This Young Woman Battled the Israeli Army to Become a Combat Soldier
A conversation with 20-year old Eden Levy at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport: Hi, can I ask why you’re traveling? I start my army service next week, and I’ve been living at home for the last while. I’m flying now so that I can take a little break with my sister before I come back to…
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Fast Forward IDF Razes Homes of Sarona Market Attackers
JERUSALEM — The West Bank homes of the two terrorists who killed four Israelis in a shooting attack on the popular Sarona Market in Tel Aviv were demolished. The Israel Defense Forces razed the Hebron-area homes of cousins Mohammed Mahamra and Khaled Mahamra on Wednesday night using bulldozers and explosives. They reportedly did not meet…
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Fast Forward IDF Revokes Exemptions of 4,000 Men Who Falsely Claimed Yeshiva Studies
JERUSALEM — The Israel Defense Forces has revoked exemptions to some 4,000 men who claimed they were yeshiva students. The men were found to be living a secular lifestyle or were not studying 45 hours per week at a yeshiva as required, Ynet reported, citing a senior official in the IDF’s Manpower Directorate. Some of the…
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Fast Forward Israeli General Faces Double Rape Charge
JERUSALEM — An Israeli general was indicted in the rape and sexual assault of two female subordinates four months after his promotion to a prominent post was canceled over the accusations. Brig.-Gen. Ofek Buchris, 47, was indicted Thursday by the Military Advocate General for the sexual offenses allegedly committed between 2010 and 2012. In March,…
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Fast Forward Israel Army Rabbi Calls Gays ‘Perverts’ — Says No Need To Prevent Civilian Deaths
A rabbi who heads a religious Zionist pre-military yeshiva in the West Bank has come under criticism for calling homosexuals “perverts” and claiming the Israeli army is promoting a socially liberal agenda. Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, who runs the Bnei David academy in the Eli settlement, also said last week at a conference — a video…
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