Are there Arabs serving in the Israeli army? JTA discovers that while Israeli law doesn't explicitly exclude Arabs from military service, it has become accepted practice that satisfies the needs of both sides:
The Arab community does not want to take part in any potential fighting against other Arabs, and the Jewish establishment feared that Arab soldiers could become a fifth column. The Arab sector also has resisted frequent proposals to institute an alternative national service — essentially, some kind of social work — instead of military service.
Throughout the years, however, the IDF has allowed Muslim and Christian Arabs to enlist on a volunteer basis. This was especially encouraged in the Muslim Bedouin community. The Bedouin, who in the past lived in nomadic desert tribes, proved to be excellent pathfinders, and their service has been invaluable in border patrol missions. Bedouin have become the backbone of the Desert Patrol Unit, which in recent years has been in charge of patrols along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Several hundred Muslim and Christian Arabs volunteer for the army, generally seeing it as a source of livelihood or a prudent career step. Although Arab volunteers often are considered outsiders by their own society, the Israeli political establishment likes to depict them as an example of the potential integration of Arab citizens in Israeli society.
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