-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Israeli army desertions rise Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem Monday November 18 2002 The Guardian The Israeli Defence Force has been hit by a sharp rise in the number of desertions among its troops, according to an army report. Military police are dealing with at least 40% more deserters than last year, the result of increasing numbers of reservists refusing to perform military service. One report put the increase as high as 67%. Since the beginning of the intifada in 2000, the army has been forced to call up tens of thousands of reservists every month to conduct operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It consists of 186,500 regular troops supplemented by a reserve force of 445,000. The regular army consists of men and women aged between 18 and 21 doing national service and career soldiers. The reservists are mainly men aged between 21 and 45. A report in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, quoted military sources saying that as of last week, military police were dealing with 2,616 deserters compared with 1,564 last year. It also stated that reservists are now forced to serve an average of 33 days per year. A spokesman for the IDF said yesterday that the rate of desertions had increased massively since the beginning of the intifada. The rate of desertion in 1999 increased by 7%, by 31% in 2000 and by 40% in 2002. He added that the latest figures were still being analysed and refused to give the numbers involved. Although 208 members of the Israeli security services have been killed in the intifada, the army believes that the majority of deserters are ignoring the call up for economic reasons. Wages have fallen by 7%, the economy has shrunk by 1% and unemployment stands at more than 10%. Both reservists and conscripts have claimed that they deserted to earn more money for their families while reservists feared losing their jobs because of the prolonged absence caused by their military service. The deserters also include conscientious objectors who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories although they are willing to serve within Israel's international borders. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
