From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 26, 2024
Liberman accuses government of ‘sanctifying draft dodging’ by not enlisting Haredim
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"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “sanctifying draft dodging,” Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman asserts during his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
The government’s attempts to extend the length of mandatory and reserve military service while keeping the ultra-Orthodox community exempt from the draft is “complete cynicism,” the secularist politician states, arguing those who are opposed to widening the draft are “harming Judaism and the security of the state.”
Quoting Biblical and rabbinic literature, Liberman pushes back against the ultra-Orthodox argument that those learning in yeshiva ought to be exempt from conscription, stating that such an approach does not exist in traditional Jewish sources.
Taking a swipe at various proposals for modifying the current status quo, Liberman says that “there is only one outline, especially after October 7: every 17-year-old goes to the IDF induction center” and the army will decide if they serve in the army or civilian national service.
Minister Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, is slated to present his outline for draft reform this afternoon.
The issue of Haredi exemptions from Israel’s mandatory draft has received renewed attention in recent weeks after the IDF and government earlier this month proposed changes to the security service and reserve service laws, which would see the amount of time conscripts and reservists serve increased significantly amid manpower shortages caused by the war in Gaza and hostilities on the northern border.
