Ultra-Orthodox, leftists join forces against Israeli draft
Ultra-Orthodox and leftist Knesset members have joined forces and advanced a proposal to abolish Israel's compulsive military service.
The latest outline for conscription of ultra-Orthodox Israelis, presented by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, has reignited debate on the issue. Many voices in Israel have called over the past few years for “equal sharing of the burden,’’ meaning for ultra-Orthodox youth to serve like everybody else.
But while politicians are divided over the existing law and compromise proposals, Knesset members from four disparate parties have joined forces to promote legislation ending military conscription altogether. Knesset member Menachem Moses of the ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah party and his coalition partner from the Likud, Yehuda Glick, have joined forces with secular leftists Mossi Raz and Issawi Frej from Meretz and Dov Khenin from Arab-Jewish Hadash to end the country’s compulsory military service. Explaining their proposed bill, the lawmakers argue that the idea is an anachronism ill-suited to contemporary Israeli society.
Can the State of Israel, with its array of security challenges, afford to shrink its standing army? According to the bill's explanatory notes, over a third of those required by law to enlist already do not do so, compared with a quarter in 1990. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of soldiers discharged as unsuited to military service has grown 15%. At the same time, combat units are almost full to capacity, and supply exceeds demand in non-combat units.
Five years ago, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said, “This era of massive regular forces no longer exists. We have to take advantage of human resources and technological developments. … [We need] a small regular force equipped, fast, flexible, armored, lethal and ready.”
