New Party Proposes Mandatory Service, Benefits for Soldiers, Sanctions for Draft Dodgers
Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba
The Reservists and Economics Party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Professor Yaron Zelicha, has proposed a plan for mandatory military or national service for all Israeli citizens. The plan includes a minimum 2,000 shekel monthly raise for regular soldiers, expanded benefits for reservists, and sanctions for draft dodgers. The party insists these measures are a prerequisite for joining any future government coalition, aiming to address both security needs and future demographic concerns.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The Reservists and Economics Party proposes mandatory service for all citizens, with benefits for soldiers and sanctions for draft dodgers.
- The party demands legislative codification of universal conscription as a condition for joining the next government.
- Regular soldiers would receive a minimum 2,000 shekel monthly pay raise, funded by a six billion shekel allocation.
- Service would become a key criterion for housing, mortgages, and other benefits, with reservists receiving preferential treatment.
- The plan includes tailored service tracks for the Haredi and Arab communities to address security and demographic challenges.
- The party will not join a government reliant on Haredi parties that promote draft evasion.
Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Reservists and Economics Party, and Professor Yaron Zelicha unveiled a new conscription plan on Tuesday, advocating for mandatory service for all citizens without exemptions. The proposal includes significant benefits for those who serve and personal sanctions for draft dodgers. Hendel and Zelicha stated their intention to make these principles a legislative condition for joining the next government.
The plan was presented on the opening day of soldier voting on the conscription law, amidst ongoing national debate. Hendel criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for a draft evasion law, contrasting it with his party's demand for universal conscription as a prerequisite for government formation. "We call for conscription for everyone as a condition for establishing a government," Hendel stated, emphasizing his party's commitment to preventing a societal split between those who serve and those who do not.
Key provisions of the plan include allocating six billion shekels to increase the salaries of regular service soldiers, ensuring a minimum raise of 2,000 shekels per soldier. The party also proposes expanding benefits for reservists and imposing immediate personal sanctions on those who evade service. Military or national service would become a primary criterion for housing, mortgage, daycare, property tax, and tax credit benefits. Reservists would receive preferential treatment in land allocation, civil service appointments, and public tenders, with businesses owned by reservists also favored in state tenders and aid programs.
Further benefits for reservists include compensation for employers and self-employed individuals, assistance with rent and insurance payments during reserve duty, and funding for studies and vocational training. The plan suggests a single IDF-managed recruitment center to assign candidates to military or national service. It also proposes tailored military tracks for the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) population and expanded national service options within the Arab community.
Hendel also critiqued stances by Ofer Winter and Gadi Eisenkot regarding draft exemptions, questioning the fairness of granting exemptions to some segments of the population while denying them to others. Zelicha addressed the plan's funding, stating that relying solely on budget cuts from those who do not enlist is insufficient. He projected that his economic plan could free up tens of billions of shekels in the first year, partly to fund the proposed benefits. Zelicha also dismissed former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's housing promises as unrealistic.
Hendel reiterated that the conscription requirement is a central condition for his party, aiming to ensure a "Zionist government" that prioritizes universal service after recent events. He expressed concern about Israel's future demographic composition, stating, "We must not reach a situation where in 2048 there is a non-Zionist majority here." Zelicha affirmed that his party would not join a government reliant on Haredi parties, calling them "brothers" but stating that parties promoting separatism and draft evasion are not Zionist.
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