From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Lapid calls on government to draft Haredim ‘immediately’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid calls on the government to “stop wasting time and draft the ultra-Orthodox immediately,” after it submits a court filing stating that the defense establishment had begun work “to promote the integration of members of the ultra-Orthodox public.”
The filing states the IDF and Defense Ministry are “formulating action plans…to implement ultra-Orthodox recruitment in the immediate future [as well as] actions that will also affect recruitment in the longer term.”
In response, Lapid, a vocal advocate for ending the ultra-Orthodox exemption from military service, demanded “mandatory service for everyone” and urged that those who do not serve “should not receive a penny from the state.”
“You can’t say ‘Together we will win’ if we don’t mobilize together,” he said.
הממשלה צריכה להפסיק למרוח את הזמן ולגייס חרדים באופן מיידי. שירות חובה לכולם, מי שלא מתגייס לא יקבל מהמדינה אגורה. אי אפשר להגיד ביחד ננצח אם לא ביחד נתגייס.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) May 1, 2024
