Number Of Palestinian Druze Refusing Israeli Service Increasing

A recent poll, conducted by the University of Haifa, has revealed that the number of Druze refusing to serve in the Israeli army is increasing. It also shows that a growing number of Israeli youth prefer being jailed instead of military service.

Al Ray Palestinian media agency reports that only 36 per cent of the youth who took part in the poll supported obligatory recruitment, while 47 per cent believed military service should be voluntary. 17 per cent believed the current conscription policy should be revoked.

According to the poll, 47 per cent of Druze said that there is no difference between them and other Arabs, while 27 per cent claimed that their situation is worse than the Arabs in Israel. Moreover, 83 per cent said that their life is worse than the Jews in Israel despite their military service.

90 per cent of Druze polled said they held negative views towards the Israeli establishment because they suffer land confiscation and geographic siege similar to other Arabs. About 75 per cent of them said their negative feelings were a result of of high rates of unemployment in their community, compared to the relatively low rate of unemployment among Jews in Israel.

Original Source: Al Ghad
Translated by: Middle East Monitor