World Notes ISRAEL

Having defended the Jewish state against hostile neighbors for the past four decades, the Israel Defense Forces enjoy a unique place of honor. Service in the I.D.F. is the ultimate act of patriotism for Israeli citizens, and draft dodging is virtually unthinkable. So when authorities last week announced that senior army officers and I.D.F.-employed physicians had arranged medical exemptions from military duties in exchange for bribes of up to $10,000 and other favors, the shock was considerable.

Eight I.D.F. personnel have been arrested, as well as eight civilians. Files have reportedly been opened on 200 suspects. Ze'ev Schiff, a leading Israeli military commentator, said the "enormous stress" on the I.D.F. from so many wars, intensified by lengthier reserve duty during the nine-month-old Palestinian uprising, may have weakened the willingness of some Israelis to / serve. In the past, when the I.D.F. discovered cases of forged medical records, most of the culprits were trying to get into elite units by concealing disqualifying ailments.