The foreign affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), continued on Monday its deliberations on the Defense Service Bill (Amendment No. 26) (Integration of Yeshiva Students), 2022.
At the opening of the discussion, a representative of an organization of religious Zionist women who call for equal share of the burden of military service said “We hear a lot about the needs of Torah students, but we do not hear enough about the security needs. The world of Torah is dear to our hearts, but without security there will be no world of Torah. Our families are the insurance policy of the state of Israel. That is what the Torah demands of us. The ultra-Orthodox public must now get under the stretcher (share the burden).”
MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) emphasized the need to draft as many ultra-Orthodox as possible, and wondered whether the bill and the committee’s discussions around it are in fact delaying enlistment or encouraging it. “There is already a law that says everyone must enlist. The expectations and discussions here themselves create a delay,” he said.
MK Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beitenu) said, “The marathon of discussions is not really meant to promote enlistment, it is meant to pass the state budget. The payoff is legislation of the draft-dodging law. If all we have done does not talk about those heavy sanctions, then after 40 debates we are going backwards, because the matter of sanctions and enforcement is not being considered. This simply throws all the discussions into the trash. Whoever does not enlist in the IDF – sanctions must be imposed on him: no yeshiva budget, no daycare discount, no property tax discount, nothing at all.”
The committee’s legal advisor, Adv. Miri Frenkel Shor, said “We are not going backwards in the discussions. When we discussed the bill, we addressed the heavy issues. We left the easier clauses for follow-up discussions. We are not starting everything over again. When we see what outline is forming, we will recommend to the committee whether it is appropriate to promote a temporary provision or permanent legislation. The ultimate purpose of the legislation is to enlist [Haredim].”
MK Moshe Turpaz (Yesh Atid) said, “We lack combat soldiers. We lack combat support personnel. Secular women fighters are filling the places that ultra-Orthodox men did not take. I think that the fact that the committee, even in the second round of legislation, did not return to quotas, is a mistake. Whoever cannot [perform military service] due his beliefs can perform national service. Therefore, I call to also discuss the issue of women [in military service] and the issue of national service.”
MK Meir Cohen (Yesh Atid) said, “For most of the coalition [members] sitting here, it is clear that what they are trying to do is drag out a temporary provision that will serve political needs. We will end up with a very messy and confused temporary provision that will serve the budget votes, but it will not respect the IDF and our fighters. This must not be a political discussion.”
MK Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid) said, “We know that enlistment is also the solution for our economy; it is the gateway for the Haredim to the labor market. Our ability to sustain a modern economy here depends greatly on the draft law. We do not have much time. If we do not do this now, we can forget about Israel’s economy as we know it.”
MK Yinon Azoulay (Shas) said, “Our public also wants a law. We want a law that will do the very best. We have said this here in the committee. On the one hand, we want to protect those who study Torah, and as for those who do not – let them go to the army. There must be a possibility for a Haredi person to enter [the army] as a Haredi and leave as a Haredi. The army must provide him with the conditions. Whoever sits and studies will be able to do so in peace. Whoever does not study will be able to go to the army in peace, knowing that his needs are addressed.”
Lt. Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi branch of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, said “As stated in previous meetings, the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits for 2026 is not limited in terms of our capacity to absorb them. We are preparing for large numbers, for all those obligated to enlist who will arrive. We are doing everything so that the Haredi soldier who returns home will be able to say that he is doing well in the army, both spiritually and professionally.”
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