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Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday cautioned the IDF of challenges brought on by the shift in the internal Israeli balance of power including growing numbers of draft dodgers and possible pressure to work outside the norms and the law.
The prime minister spoke at the graduation ceremony for IDF officers
"Our enemies should know that the Israeli people are stronger than any internal argument and its power is in its unity," Lapid said.
"Our mission as a society is to bring bath faith in our democracy, the IDF, Police courts and especially our faith in each other," he said.
"In the coming years the IDF will face two internal challenges. One is the growing cracks in its character as the people's army, when more and more people do not enlist to serve and evading the draft," the prime minister said.
The second challenge is to maintain IDF standards and operate within the confines of the law. Calls to change the rules of engagement in the fight against terror, weaken Israeli society and the military. The fact that we are a functioning democracy with which respects the law, does not limit our power, but rather the source of our strength," he said.
"If the IDF is no longer a moral and law abiding military, it will not be able to bring into its ranks the best people."