Liberman seeks pre-election pledge from opposition leaders on universal draft

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman calls on opposition leaders to publicly commit to passing a universal conscription law with no exemptions, arguing that voters deserve clear pledges ahead of the next election.

In a post on X, Liberman says Israeli citizens “will not settle for hearing complaints, they will demand commitments,” and urges Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, Yashar party chair and ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot, and former prime minister Naftali Bennett to explicitly back a draft law applying to all citizens.

“I emphasize: a universal draft law. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Circassians,” Liberman writes, proposing two tracks — military and civilian — with the IDF determining who would serve in the army and who would be assigned to meaningful civilian national service.

Liberman insists the next coalition must pass such legislation during the first Knesset session, and rejects what he describes as vague or conditional formulas, including proposals to allow exemptions for certain groups or to defer details until after the election.

Without an explicit commitment to a blanket draft law, he argues, it would be impossible to form a “truly Zionist and liberal coalition,” adding that the public is entitled to know candidates’ positions before casting their ballots.