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All of the conscripts are defined by the Israeli Interior Ministry as either Christians or lacking religious affiliation.
The IDF said in response that the purpose of the ceremony is to "strengthen the feeling of belonging of immigrant soldiers and their children to the State of Israel and the IDF." The military admitted the conscripts are forced to participate: "the soldiers who answer to the criteria are invited to an orientation ceremony about the [
giur] course, a ceremony to which the soldier must report, so as to have the ability to take a reasoned decision about his willingness to participate in the plan. A soldier who decides at the end of the ceremony to give up the course will not be invited to the next conference and the [conversion] process regarding him will be halted. Should a soldier decide to participate in the plan, but would [later] decide to disengage, he would have the right to do so at any time."
While Israel promotes itself as a democracy, even a liberal one, it is essential to understand that this is simply not the case when it comes to personal and religious rights in Israel. While a citizen of a Western country is identified by his citizenship, the concept of citizenship is an afterthought in Israel.
As far as the Israeli government and courts are concerned, there are no Israelis: attempts to be defined as such are stricken down time and again. The Interior Ministry uses the
millet system, inherited from the Ottomans, as the basis of organizing society.
Comment: Israel is worried that the IDF numbers for enlistments are going down:
estimates for the year 2020 are at 46% of the population, less than half. In 1990 the enlistments were 70%. The correlation to religion factors highly in this decline. A way for haredi yeshiva students to bypass the inscription is to claim "Torato Omanuto" or Torah Study. The 'national religious' have no choice to dodge the draft. With the kinds of policies and paranoia that drives Israel, every soldier they can lock down, even if he/she is not per se Israeli, is crucial.
Comment: If the email innuendo worked so well in the US for sloppy politicians...copy, adapt and apply. Does Israel benefit in picking off ME regimes one-by-one? And, who would you think has the 'dirt' on each and every source it needs to mastermind this level of disruption?
According to Al-Jazeera: