The young men of the Druze community continue to boast the highest rate of enlistment to the IDF in the Jewish State. In 2008, over 850 Druze, or 83 percent of eligible men, enlisted to serve in the army.

The head of the IDF’s Administration for Special Populations, Col. Ramiz Ahmed, told IDF magazine Bamachaneh that the body is acting vigorously to encourage Druze recruits to maximize their potential in the IDF and to opt for senior service tracks, in intelligence positions or IAF Pilot Courses.

Achieving this goal requires improving the quality of the recruits and their education level, Ahmed said. To this end, the first pre-military academy for the Druze sector was opened in Daliat El-Carmel last year.

The academy imparts knowledge to its students in fields of leadership, personal empowerment, navigation and improving their knowledge of the Hebrew language.

“The global village in which we live today connects the Druze youth to the Jewish youth and I believe that over the years, there will be a blurring of the differences between the two religions and the social differences between them will disappear,” he estimated.

The Administration is also pleased with the rate of enlistment among minorities that are not required by law to enlist, including the Bedouins, Christian Arabs and Muslim Arabs.

In 2008, about 370 members of minorities volunteered for the IDF – a sharp rise of 62 percent from the 2007 numbers. In the most recent recruitment wave, 150 minority youths volunteered.

The Administration Head estimated that the number of minority volunteers in 2009 will reach 450.