Israel makes an unsustainable malignant Sparta

Israel's war on the people of Gaza will wind down or at least change form some time soon. Unfortunately, this will come about NOT because of international repulsion. Rather, despite U.S. support, the current level of Israeli military mobilization will become economically unsustainable.

National security establishment journalist David Ignatius let the cat out of the bag in an aside:

Israel’s leaders know they need to transition to a new stage in the conflict, not least to allow reservists to leave the front lines and return to their jobs.

This offhand remark alludes to what is less talked about: the Israel Defense Forces, despite being a conscript force requiring "all" men and women to serve, in fact treats lots of people living in Israel as exempt. The 21 percent who are "Arab" Israelis don't do military service. Nor do most ultra-Orthodox (Haredim).

Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, young Haredim have been exempt from the mandatory military service required of their non-Haredi counterparts. The exemption is deeply resented by many non-Haredi Israelis. Most must serve at least 32 months, while almost all young ultra-Orthodox men shun service. Haredi rabbis insist that fervent prayer for Israel’s security is just as important as military service.

Although the high court struck down the exemption in 2017 and ordered the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, to create a new, more equitable military draft, the Knesset has never complied with the court’s order.

The consequence of these exemptions is that IDF military personnel come from among the most economically active, modern sectors of Israel's fully up-to-date economy. In ordinary times, Israel thrives because these citizen soldiers are working. Keeping 300,000 reservists mobilized in a country of 7 million eligible citizens (perhaps two thirds of appropriate age) creates a terrible drain on prosperity, as well as on civilian life.

AP photo - In this December 23, 2010 photo, dozens of African migrants cross into southern Israel through the border with Egypt. Not these days ...

The war against Hamas has highlighted another area of fragility in the Israeli economy. The not-so-modern agricultural sector is dependent on contract farm laborers imported from impoverished countries.

Many Thai workers were among the victims of Hamas's 10/7 raid on southern Israel. Twenty-three were among the hostages released in the prisoner swap.

After the Oct. 7 attack, around 9,000 Thai workers — most of them from the area by Gaza — had evacuated the country, sending Israeli agriculture into its own state of emergency.

Voice of America reports how Israel is finding replacements these days.

Several hundred of young Malawi men have left for Israel to work on farms left deserted by an exodus sparked by the Gaza war, the labor ministry said ... Malawi's Secretary for Labor Wezi Kayira said Israel was one of several countries targeted by a government labour export program aimed at finding jobs for youth and generating desperately needed foreign exchange.

Even in a war zone, people need to eat and to work.