A short conversation with and Israeli

My last night in Antigua, I shared my room with three Israelis, one guy and two girls. I had a short conversation with one of the girls - QUITE cute - about military service in Israel. I asked if many people requested conscientious objector status. She said for a person to avoid military service, unless for medical reason or if their deeply religious, it is considered taboo to avoid service, a sign of disloyalty or simple laziness.

My thought on this are mixed. I think much of American culture sacrifices communal solidarity for misapplied, materialistic individualism, and for that, I´m envious of Israelis. But the fact that this soloidarity is manifested in throught thier military is disconcerting. It seems like there could be more constructive ways of demonstrating solidarity than the willingness to die and kill for your country.

On a couple different occasions with different Israelis, when the topic of Gaza comes up they shrug it off, reluctant to indulge the topic. They´ve done their time in the military, they say. They don´t want to think about it anymore.