@YYA – in response to your comment about an ad-hoc group only being what’s allowed – the Rema’s haga’a that ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? clearly seems to contradict that, in that it contemplates there being an organized group that goes out on Shabbos so as to dissuade attacks. That definitely seems to imply some sort of organized defense force that can do so – not a bunch of Yeshiva guys with baseball bats.
As to your comment on what the “real goal” of “Secular Zionism” is – you are what the Chazon Ish ZT”L calls a “good Polish soldier”, still fighting yesterday’s battles. The classic secular Zionists are for the most part long gone – the percentage of Israelis who consider themselves Dati or Chareidi is upwards of 30%, with a significant further percentage considering themselves traditional (“Masorati” – not to be confused with the Conservative movement, which has tried to take this term for themselves). Even amongst those that are really secular, the vast majority have no interest in making the religious less Frum – they just want to be left alone to live their lives as they wish, with minimal “religious coercion”. Using an argument that may have been relevant 70+ years ago in today’s situation makes no sense – similar to the way using the Gemara’s description of blood letting as the treatment given by a good doctor to justify such treatment today would be ridiculous.
Bottom line – Zionist ideology is not the reason for Chareidim to serve. The reason, as posited by the original poster in this thread is the Halachic obligation to come to the defense of one’s fellow Jews. As noted above, I have yet to see a logical explanation that explains why this Halacha is not applicable today.
an Israeli Yid