# Are Arabs allowed to serve in the Israeli special forces **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-arabs-allowed-to-serve-in-the-israeli-special-forces/358948 "2006-05-31T23:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-arabs-allowed-to-serve-in-the-israeli-special-forces/358948/1 "2006-05-31T23:35:52Z")
Do the Israeli special forces like MATKAL allow Israeli citizens of Arab descent to serve in their special forces units and perform counterterrorism actions? What about Arab immigrants from countries like Iran or Iraq? What about the regular IDF military? Do Israelis worry that an Arab citizen or Arab immigrants from countries like Lebanon will not be trustworthy on CT missions to kill other Arabs in places like Lebanon, or is it not an issue? ---
**Author:** ![RCGDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@RCGDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RCGDC)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-arabs-allowed-to-serve-in-the-israeli-special-forces/358948/2 "2006-05-31T23:43:35Z")
Druze Arabs and Circassians a Turkic peoples, like Israeli Jews, serve mandatory service in the IDF. In recent years, some Druze officers have reached positions in the IDF as high as Major General and many have received orders of distinction. Service is not mandatory for all other Israeli minorities (notably Israeli Arabs but also Black Hebrews and others). However, a large number of Bedouin, as well as some Christian Arabs and even a few Muslim Arabs, volunteer ---
**Author:** ![RCGDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@RCGDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RCGDC)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-arabs-allowed-to-serve-in-the-israeli-special-forces/358948/3 "2006-05-31T23:47:25Z")
> [@RCGDC](#): > > Druze Arabs and Circassians a Turkic peoples, like Israeli Jews, serve mandatory service in the IDF. In recent years, some Druze officers have reached positions in the IDF as high as Major General and many have received orders of distinction. > > Service is not mandatory for all other Israeli minorities (notably Israeli Arabs but also Black Hebrews and others). However, a large number of Bedouin, as well as some Christian Arabs and even a few Muslim Arabs, volunteer sorry I answered a question you didn’t ask. Then when I went to hit back I pressed enter. If a moderater sees this please delete thanks ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-arabs-allowed-to-serve-in-the-israeli-special-forces/358948/4 "2006-06-01T01:43:09Z")
No, that is a really good answer and what I was looking for for the most part. So are minorities given the same responsibilities and security clearances as Jewish Israelis in the military or is there fear that an undercover agent could slip in? What about first generation immigrants from unfriendly countries, can they join special forces units?