ABSTRACT
Ever since its establishment in 1948 the Israel Defense Force (IDF) has prided itself on its character as a “people’s army.” Of the several justifications for that depiction, undoubtedly the most obtrusive is Israel’s persistent adherence to a system of military service based on the nominally universal conscription of all 18-year-old youngsters (women as well as men) for draft terms of two to three years and on compulsory reserve duty (principally for males) until middle age.
