Reporting from Isfiyeh, Israel— Amal Asad began his barrier-breaking military career in the Israel Defense Forces after being drafted just days before the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He went on to become one of its first Arab paratroopers and retired as brigadier general, the second-highest rank achieved by a non-Jewish officer.
Rising in the ranks alongside future Israeli leaders such as Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Asad says, he faced relatively few obstacles as a Druze Arab in the Jewish-dominated military. But he says retirement in 2000 hit him like "a slap in the face."
In terms of benefits, he says, he receives the same as any officer. But while other retired officers pursued political careers and lucrative jobs in the private sector, he runs a small business that recycles old tires and lives in the impoverished Druze town of Isfiyeh, where schools are overcrowded and roads need repair.
"When you fight for the state, you feel part of the team," said Asad, 56. "But when you do your part and then get nothing back, that's the slap. You realize you are not the same. It kills you."
As Israel debates whether to draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into its military, questions are also being raised about the role of Arab Israelis, who also are largely exempt from mandatory service. Although Arabs make up one-fifth of Israel's population, they are estimated to account for less than 5% of active soldiers.
As with ultra-Orthodox young men, Muslim and Christian Arabs are not required to serve in the army. Last month, however, the Supreme Court ruled that the exemption for religious students was unfair and illegal, raising questions about whether the same standard would apply to Arabs.
Some question whether the IDF is even willing to accept the large-scale enlistment of Arab soldiers.
"I'm not sure they want them in the military," said Reda Mansour, one of the top-ranking Druze diplomats in Israel's foreign service. "It would not be easy to have Arab commanders when we are fighting Arab enemies."
Arab Israelis are also leery, pointing to the disappointing experience of the Druze, who are the only Arabs now subject to the draft.
The Druze are members of a small, close-knit society that practices a little-known religion. Scattered around several Mideast countries, including Syria and Lebanon, the Druze typically embrace the government wherever they live, with no national aspirations of their own. They were early allies of Jewish independence fighters against the British, and after Israel's creation, they agreed to be subject to the military draft, betting it would earn them respect and support.
A measure of respect followed, but some Druze are questioning whether they received the support to which they believe they are entitled. A growing number of Druze leaders are balking at army service, complaining that their communities in Israel fare no better than other Arab villages, suffering from the same poor infrastructure and funding shortages.
The military service, some say, has driven a wedge between Druze and other Arab Israelis.
"Our roots should be with the Arab nations, but Israel is trying to use this to separate and isolate the minorities," said Osama Melhem, an advisor to a Druze member of parliament and member of Roots, a Druze group that is encouraging its young men to boycott military service. He said his son is now waiting to be sentenced for refusing to report to duty.
"This has been a test for the past 60 years, and we've gotten nothing from the state," he said, adding that he believes military service leaves Druze at a disadvantage because Arabs who don't serve in the army get a head start by going directly to college and the job market, and they all end up facing the same anti-Arab discrimination.
About 82% of Druze young men are drafted and more than half of those serve in combat positions, according to army figures. That's a higher rate than for Jews, 74% of whom are drafted and 42% of whom serve in combat units. (Despite the mandatory draft, exemptions are made for conscientious objectors and for health or religious reasons. Druze women are not required to serve for religious reasons.)
Some Druze leaders defend military service as a worthwhile experience that can help young men qualify for subsidized college tuition, lower mortgage rates and employment preferences, all standard benefits of IDF service. Just as important, they say, military service is every citizen's responsibility and the army offers Druze an environment to escape discrimination and stereotypes.
"The military is the closest thing to equality that we have in Israel," said Mansour, who served as Israel's ambassador to Ecuador. "There are almost no barriers. The military is color-blind."
He credits his own military service for boosting his career, saying it opened doors and provided contacts that continue to help.
Yet he and others agreed that most Druze face disappointment and hardship upon leaving the military.
Even government jobs are hard to come by, Mansour said, with only about a dozen Arabs among 380 Israeli diplomats. Since Israel's founding, only two Arabs — one Druze and one Muslim — have served as Cabinet-level ministers.
"The post-service condition of the Arabs is the Achilles' heel of the draft," said Ayoob Kara, a Druze lawmaker and deputy minister of development of Galilee and Negev, a post that makes him the highest-ranking Arab official in the current government.
Kara, who lost two brothers in battle, said the army and government need to do more to support Druze soldiers upon release.
"They finish their army service with no place to live, no place to build a house or set up a family, no employment opportunities," he said. "The gaps have widened over the years to the extent that affirmative action and preferential treatment are now urgently required."
IDF officials acknowledged the problem for Druze, but said that it occurs after they are released.
"Their reentry into civilian life and subsequent absorption is difficult for socioeconomic reasons," said IDF Col. Ramez Ahmad, a Druze in charge of Druze and Bedouin soldiers. "But this is out of the army's hands. This is a matter for government."
Asad agreed that the solution must come from the government, not the military. He noted that Israel spent vast sums of money helping Russian and Ethiopian Jewish immigrants resettle over the last 20 years, and could devote more resources to Druze if it wanted to.
But he said he had no regrets about his service.
"Every Israeli has duty to the state," he said. "I never did this to get something back."
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