At the "Adopt a Warrior" ceremony that took place this evening (Wednesday), Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi spoke about the importance of pioneering and taking the initiative in the IDF and the importance of maintaining the People's Army. In his words, he also referred to the storm surrounding the conscription law and said that "our position is clear - conscription for all".
"This year, in the seventy-fifth year of the State of Israel, we are talking about pioneering," said Halevi. "How do you connect pioneers with business companies and military units? The truth? It's quite simple. The image of the pioneer in our history is connected to settlement and agriculture - instead of respect. Pioneering is renewed and the pioneer is the first to take an important action - you are the managers of the adopting companies and organizations of friends of the IDF in the United States And England, Pioneers are building a bridge between the IDF and business companies.
"The State of Israel must continue to uphold the People's Army model"
"On this bridge, we would like to see movement in two directions. One is clear and exists distinctly from the beginning of the project - the business sector contributes to the well-being of the fighting soldiers who defend the country," the Chief of Staff continued. "The IDF provides them with what they need; what they receive from you, Beyond any material interest, expressing appreciation and recognition of the Israeli society and the Jewish people for their work, work that involves a great effort, work that risks life, work that has a great goal - to protect the country of all of us, in an area where this protection is necessary.
He also referred to the controversy surrounding the recruitment laws for the IDF: "These days there is a lively discussion about the place of the People's Army. In front of the question marks, I want to place exclamation marks. The State of Israel must for the sake of its security continue to uphold the People's Army model. This is a model that requires recruitment from as many parts of the Israeli population as possible. With the right adjustments, there is a place and a way to implement this in the developing Israeli society. Our position is clear - recruitment for everyone."
According to him, "For seventy-five years, this has been the secret of the IDF's strength. Especially during times of division in Israeli society, the IDF is the unifying and embracing solution, and there is a place for everyone in it. Faced with young people considering not enlisting, the message is clear: We will live here, in the State of Israel, always. To do so, we must defend it. Everyone considering not enlisting should ask themselves what would happen if everyone acted like them. In times of division, no matter how difficult, we must not lose our direction. The IDF is strong, and security strengthens the economy."
Continuing his remarks, he emphasized that "the IDF is the right place to be. It has a worthy and moral goal, and the path is clear. The People's Army is a military-connected to its people, and this connection – from business enterprises to the IDF – reflects a deep bond between the people and their army. We know there is a very important circle: a strong IDF and security strengthen the economy, and a strong economy enables us to strengthen the IDF.
"We have the honor to continue and strengthen this direction together. We must continue to appreciate those who bear the security burden and risk their lives. I would like to strengthen the other direction in this movement in the coming year until our next meeting. Let's focus on absorbing soldiers leaving the military into successful work and studies in Israeli companies."
"Our soldiers devote precious years to the defense of the country, they develop a lot in terms of values, social and leadership, but while they are serving as soldiers, they cannot evacuate and prepare for civilian life. Good reception and accompaniment in successful companies will be an additional strengthening in the bridge between the Israeli economy and the IDF. Very high-quality fighters will come to the service and will continue as workers and leaders in the Israeli economy. This is how national security will be built for many years. Soon we will create a process to strengthen this direction together."
"The uniforms are the same uniforms. The IDF always chooses to protect the country"
Halevi referred to the national crisis and claimed that "in days of controversy, in the face of outside voices trying to influence the IDF, voices that do not trust security and do not bear responsibility for it, we in the IDF do not choose sides. We have the uncompromising responsibility for the IDF's competence and cohesion of the lines in it. Not only today, but for many years to come."
"We are opposed to any use of uniforms for the sake of controversy, in regular and reserve, the same uniforms. The IDF always chooses to defend the country. In any situation, against any enemy, and any challenge. Resolutely and unconditionally" he concluded.
Unit commanders - continue to work for competence and cohesion, and make sure to exhaust this relationship with the adopting companies, for the welfare of the soldiers and their development. Company managers - we have the honor to strengthen together with you the security of the state and the economy of Israel. For the new year, I wish you all a year of security and success, a year in which even if there will be differences, we will know how to unite around the significant challenges for all of us.