From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Bill stripping voting rights from draft dodgers fails in preliminary reading
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Lawmakers vote 27-69 to defeat a bill that would strip voting rights from Israelis who refuse to enlist in military or civilian service, in its preliminary reading in the Knesset.
The bill, sponsored by Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, was intended to condition voting rights on IDF service, following a 200,000-strong ultra-Orthodox protest against military conscription last week.
Addressing lawmakers ahead of the vote, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman insists that the government and military are not properly enforcing the law against draft evaders and those who incite evasion. Under the law, “we were supposed to see thousands of Haredim either in military service or in prison. So why aren’t we following the existing law?” he asks.
In response, Degel HaTorah chief Moshe Gafni calls Liberman a hypocrite, yelling that when he was defense minister “not only did you not work for the conscription of everyone, but you helped us exempt the yeshiva students.”
The measure was supported by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party but was opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, the ultra-Orthodox parties and Yair Golan’s The Democrats. Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party abstained from the vote.
The Times of Israel Community.