Gallant: We need more soldiers; it’s a security issue, not a political one

28 October 2024, 7:02 pm

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) at the opening of the Knesset winter session in Jerusalem on October 28, 2024. (Photo by DEBBIE HILL / POOL / AFP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the question of draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox soldiers is not a political issue, but a security one.

Asked about the law that is being pushed through by the government he is a part of, Gallant says he is opposed to it.

“It is not a political issue. It is a security and moral issue,” he says.

“Since I opposed the first reading [of the bill,] the situation has worsened. We have more open fronts, more injured soldiers and to my sorrow more fallen soldiers,” Gallant says. “We need more soldiers, we need more fighters.”