As Israel is preparing to launch a ground assault in Gaza, a member of the Israeli Knesset, Sharren Haskel stated that they are planning to arm citizens and civilians with assault weapons and train them properly to build first response groups.
In an interview with a reputed media agency, the MP said that the civilians played a key role in fighting Hamas when they launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and it is necessary to arm them properly.
On Arming Civilians
“We understand that in the attack on October 7, 2023, in Israel, when thousands of terrorists charged the border invading 22 cities and towns, the first to respond were local troops that were armed and were guarding their own towns and cities. That was the force that was able to hold back many of its terrorists,” MP Haskel said.
She further said “ We understand that during these times, we have to make sure that the citizens are well armed and prepared to defend themselves,” noting that most of the citizens in Israel have some kind of arms training under mandatory service. “For people who have served in the army and who do have training with weapons, we will give them weapons in order to build security and defense for every single town.
Need for Self Defence
She remarked that such groups are important to provide a first response until the army arrives. That is something that we have learned, she said. The MP added that the Israeli government has already built 527 groups who are ready to defend their towns and cities at any given time,”
When asked about the kind of arms to be provided, she said, “These 527 groups will be armed with rifles that are capable of fighting Kalashnikovs and rifles that Hamas is using.” On the possible assault into Gaza, the MP said “We will enter Gaza and we will do it on our terms. The army is currently making the ground as safe as possible ahead of the assault.
As far as Hamas is concerned, she accused the terrorist entity of using human shields as innocent civilians and shooting rockets from the densely populated areas such as schools, and hospitals.
Compulsory Military Training
Due to geopolitical reasons and history, the state of Israel since its very inception in 1948, has fought several wars with its Arab neighbours, Israel is surrounded on all sides by hostile Arab powers and non-state actors such as Hamas, Hezbollah supported by Iran and Palestinian entities. The country has extremely poor strategic depth (room for retreat in case of enemy invasion), The Jews in Israel accept this reality and this is where compulsory military training comes into the picture.
According to 1949 Israeli Security Service Law, military service is compulsory for all Israelis who turn 18 except for the Ultra-orthodox and Arab Israelis. Those of Jewish Druze or Circassian origin must serve in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The military service length is two years and eight months for men and two years for women. Those who are unfit medically or mentally, are married and religious individuals are exempt from compulsory military service.
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