New Party Demands Universal Draft, Citing Existential Threat

The newly formed "Reservists and Economics Party," led by Yoaz Hendel and Professor Yaron Zehlikha, unveiled a comprehensive draft plan on Tuesday, coinciding with the opening of IDF polling stations. The proposal mandates military or national service for all citizens, eliminating exemptions and offering significant financial benefits to those who serve, alongside personal sanctions for non-compliance. Hendel and Zehlikha declared that enshrining these principles into law would be a prerequisite for their party joining any future government.

The plan outlines mandatory service for all Israelis, integrating the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community into military service and Arab citizens into national service tracks. To incentivize service, NIS 6 billion will be allocated to increase conscript salaries, providing at least a NIS 2,000 monthly raise. The proposal also includes a range of benefits for reservists and discharged soldiers, such as preferential treatment in housing, mortgages, daycare, municipal taxes, and tax credits.

Hendel criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suggesting a draft exemption law as a condition for government formation, contrasting it with his party's demand for universal conscription. "We are calling for everyone to be drafted as a condition for forming a government," Hendel stated, emphasizing his party's commitment to preventing a societal divide between those who serve and those who do not. He also urged Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party to abandon his alliance with Haredi parties and align with a "Zionist platform."

Further criticizing figures like Ofer Winter and Gadi Eisenkot, Hendel warned that granting exemptions would undermine the entire conscription system. His party insists on legally binding legislation before government formation, rejecting mere promises. Hendel also framed expanded service as crucial for national identity, stating that integrating the Haredi and Arab sectors into service is vital for maintaining a Jewish majority in Israel.

Economically, Zehlikha asserted that the plan's benefits could be funded by reallocating tens of billions of shekels from the state budget, though specific funding sources were not fully detailed. He also dismissed former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's housing promises to reservists as unrealistic and criticized the notion of funding benefits solely through cuts to non-serving populations. Zehlikha firmly stated that his party would not partner with Haredi parties that promote isolationism and draft evasion, calling them "not Zionist."