Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Liberman’s ‘National Service For All’ bill falls in Knesset

17 May 2023, 4:51 pm 1 Edit

Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman attends a vote in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 15, 2023. Photo by (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman attends a vote in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 15, 2023. Photo by (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Opposition Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman submits a bill in the Knesset calling for national service for all Israelis upon reaching age 18, without exemptions.

His “National Service for All” bill fails with 63 lawmakers voting against and 43 voting in favor.

Speaking in the Knesset, Liberman takes a dig at the ultra-Orthodox who receive exemptions from compulsory military service to study in yeshivas. “I don’t remember a time in Jewish history when it was forbidden to fight. This is an issue about sharing the burden.”