In honor of the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Adcha, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz met with leaders of the minority communities, which are heavily represented in the IDF
Date: 25/10/2012, 8:01 PM
Author: IDF Website
In honor of the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Adcha, which begins this evening, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz met yesterday (Wednesday, October 24) with leaders of Israel's Bedouin and Druze communities, expressing his personal appreciation for the contributions of Bedouin and Druze soldiers to the IDF.
"My sense is truly that our cooperation is absolute, strong, courageous, and faithful, and I want to express my great appreciation for that," the Chief of Staff said. "And I want to ask you to convey to the soldiers in your families – those who come [to the IDF], which most of them do – both [my wishes for] a happy holiday and my great appreciation for the cooperation, which I think is very ethical."
Lt. Gen. Gantz also expressed his sympathy for the families of those IDF soldiers who have fallen during their service.
Recent years have seen an increase in the enlistment rate of Bedouin and Druze young adults. According to the latest figures, the Druze enlistment rate stands at 83 percent – 60 percent of whom enlist in combat units – and the annual enlistment rate among Bedouins stands at 492, up from 345 in 2005.