Israeli army analysis from FT: Ultra-nationalists are reshaping the armed forces

In the news of the British Financial Times newspaper titled "Extreme nationalists who are reshaping the Israeli armed forces", the influence of religious Zionists within the army was touched upon.

The news stated that "the religious Zionist community in Israel has been campaigning for years to take control of the traditionally secular army."

Nir Avishai Cohen, whose views are included in the news and who served in the reserve units in the Israeli army, said, "When I started as a young officer in the 2000s, you didn't really feel it (the change in the army). But in the last five to seven years, it has become increasingly stronger." he commented.

It was noted in the news that "in the years after the establishment of Israel, the Israeli army was largely dominated by the secular elites who ruled the country", however, it was evaluated that "in the last 20 years, this segment's control over the army has been increasingly challenged by Israel's religious Zionist community".

The news stated that this community constitutes approximately 15 percent of Jewish Israelis and, according to a 2021 study, 34.8 percent of infantry officer candidates in 2018 were from this community, and this rate stood out as 2.5 percent in 1990.

It was stated in the news that Cohen initially "noticed only minor signs of the influence of religion" during his twenty years in the army, and according to the former Israeli soldier, one of the biggest changes in the army was that rabbis, rather than officers, gave motivational speeches to soldiers.