Gearing up for election, Bennett unveils ‘flagship’ proposal upping soldiers’ benefits

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett on Monday announced a proposed benefits package for soldiers and reservists in response to the government’s ongoing attempt to pass a draft exemption bill for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, dubbing it the “servicemembers’ law.”

“From today, those who serve are at the top, and those who choose to evade service are at the bottom,” said Bennett in a video statement.

Bennett, who is no longer in the Knesset but is seeking to reenter the political arena with a newly registered party, is widely viewed as the strongest potential challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this year’s election.

“This will be the flagship law of the next government,” he said, adding that anyone who seeks to join his government must support his proposed law.

For the past year and a half, the Haredi leadership has pushed for a law keeping its constituency out of the Israel Defense Forces, after the High Court ruled that decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to full-time Haredi yeshiva students were illegal.

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.

חוק המשרתים החדש יעצב את עתיד מדינת ישראל לעשרות שנים קדימה, וישפיע דרמטית על חיי הציבור המשרת.
ככה נראה תיקון היסטורי>> pic.twitter.com/qv92LVzyyI

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) January 5, 2026

Bennett framed the proposed law as a means to support those who serve the country, halt funding to those who do not, and incentivize the ultra-Orthodox to enlist in the army.

“This law will cause massive numbers of Haredi youths to join the IDF,” the former premier claimed.

“We serve in the IDF out of a sense of mission and love for our country, and we will continue to serve under any circumstances regardless of economic conditions,” he said. “But this amendment is essential economically, morally, and it will also unite the nation.”

According to Bennett’s proposal, active reservists will receive grants to buy a first home, childcare, and continuous subsidization of utility bills as long as they continue reserve duty.

Those who complete mandatory service will have their undergraduate degrees fully funded — a condition that currently applies only to combat soldiers — while combat soldiers will also receive fully funded master’s degrees. Those who complete mandatory service will also receive other benefits, including childcare and public transportation subsidies.

Meanwhile, “those who choose not to serve simply won’t receive anything,” he said.

The initiative, Bennett said, will be funded out of NIS 25 billion ($7.9 billion) he claims currently goes to “draft dodgers and coalition handouts.”

“This money exists. I built the servicemembers’ bill with people who were in the Budget Department and the Housing Ministry and know exactly where these billions are now,” he emphasized.

He further claimed that the bill will “inject over NIS 100 billion ($31.7 billion) into the economy, currently being wasted because of draft evasion.”

Looking ahead to this year’s election, which must be held by October, a recent survey by Channel 12 found that Bennett’s eponymous party would win 22 seats in Knesset, trailing Netanyahu’s Likud at 25.

However, the poll found that neither Netanyahu’s allies nor the opposition would reach a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The pro-Netanyahu camp would win just 52 seats, while his opponents, excluding Arab parties, would win 58.