Yisrael Beiteinu’s Oded Forer Slams Netanyahu Over Draft Deal Rumors

Yisrael Beiteinu faction chair MK Oded Forer launched a sharp attack on Tuesday evening after reports of a political deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni over setting an election date in October. He said the government was putting its wartime priorities upside down by advancing legislation that would halt arrests of draft dodgers while soldiers are fighting in the north.

Forer said, “Our soldiers are like ducks in a shooting gallery in Lebanon with their hands tied behind their backs, and the prime minister is committing to Deri and Gafni to advance a law that will stop the arrests of draft evaders.” He added, “There is nothing lower and more degrading than this.”

He argued that Netanyahu’s willingness to meet ultra-Orthodox demands at this moment shows he is acting only out of personal political survival, at the expense of equality in military service. “The fact that Netanyahu is willing to sink to the lowest level to gain a few more days in office proves he has lost touch with reality and has lost the legitimacy to lead the country,” Forer said.

Looking ahead to the expected vote, Forer said his party is preparing for the coming election in order to bring about a government change and a complete overhaul of Israel’s conscription laws, without exceptions. “Whether the elections are on October 20 or October 27, the public will show the government of evasion the way home,” he said. “Soon we will establish here a government that drafts everyone, with no exemptions and no concessions.”