In a dramatic turn of events, Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid said that his party will support the legislation for the Conscription Law that will soon be brought to the Knesset for its second reading.
While the parties making up the government are having a difficult time building a consensus regarding the law, Lapid may have given Netanyahu the breathing room he needs to push the bill through the Knesset, without needing to get all government parties on board.
Labor leader Avi Gabbay said that his party would vote against the proposed legislation.
“I’m saying this now, clearly – we will vote against the draft law. Our principles are known – we want every young man and woman to either do military service, national service or civic service,” said Gabbay.
“This proposal has no equality in carrying the burden of service or real rewards for serving soldiers,” he added.
MK Lapid asserted the proposed draft law is “a repeat of Yesh Atid’s law,” which was passed during the previous government’s tenure in March 2014, and then amended in 2015.
“This time, both the IDF and the chief of staff support this plan,” Lapid said.
“I have no expectations from the Prime Minister. His capitulation is his way. But the Defense Minister cannot change even one word in this plan. He made a commitment to the public that he would give full backing to the IDF and Defense Ministry. If he changes one word of the plan, it would be a capitulation,” Lapid added.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he hopes to bring the proposed legislation for a discussion in the Knesset next week and have it pass into law by the end of the month before the summer session of the Knesset is over.
“This is the most balanced and stately law,” said Lieberman. “There’s consensus about the bill in both the coalition and opposition.”
Education Minister and HaBayit Hayehudi Party Leader Naftali Bennett said that the proposed legislation is “a proportional law that provides solutions for everyone—a moderate and proportional recruitment of ultra-Orthodox without coercion or force.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Chareidi parties that they must form a unified position about the plan and reach agreements within two weeks.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
“Labor leader Avi Gabbay said, ‘we want every young man and woman to either do military service, national service or civic service.'” Right, that’s what the majority of 18 year old Labor supporters are doing. Uh huh. That’s why at least 60% of those liable to conscription end up not serving.
american_yerushalmi – Do you have a source for your 60% claim? Every source that I have ever seen shows that only a small percentage of Israeli youth who are not charedi or Arab fail to serve and most of those who do not serve are rejected by the IDF and not the other way around. And I suspect that those few who choose not to serve are more likely not to vote or to vote for Meretz or further left rather than vote for for a mainstream Zionist party such as Labor. I think that it is safe to say that well over 95% of Israeli Jews who vote for Labor are either serving or have served in the IDF.
YagelLibi: you and I both know there is no source aside from the admission of the PM or Chief of Staff (which they would never do) will convince you of anything. I read this in a number of sources. Not-frum acquaintances of mine who have connection in the Manpower Branch (“agaf koach adam”) of the IDF have admitted to me as much. Everyone knows about the cottage industry of psychiatrists who create fake reports for 15 and 16 year old secular kids so that they can evade army service a few years hence. 95%?? Maybe 40 or 50 years ago? Maybe among the DL community. But among the general population, it’s around 60%. It’s true I cannot specifically link the 60% to Labor Party voters; it’s a general figure that the IDF admitted to a few years back. But, it’s more a matter of Avi Gabbay putting his money where his mouth is.”
american_yerushalmi – I think that you are confused. The ‘60%’ number you are thinking of includes charedim and Arabs and is a source of concern.