MK Rotman Unveils Reservists Plan and Warns Right-Wing on Coalition Majority
MK Simcha Rotman presented his party's "Reservists Home" plan aimed at significantly reducing the burden of reserve service on soldiers. Speaking in an interview with Channel 7 during the plan's launch, Rotman explained that the initiative seeks to distribute the reserve duty load more broadly, allowing reservists to spend more time with their families. He emphasized that his party represents a constituency with many reservists and is working to support them.
Addressing criticism related to the controversial draft law and his party's handling of the ultra-Orthodox community, Rotman stated that if any version of the draft law had passed during the current Knesset term, the overall service burden would be lower for all soldiers, including reservists. He suggested that opposition to these measures stemmed from a mindset where "the perfect is the enemy of the good." Rotman also discussed a reserve service law he chaired in committee, designed to prioritize reservists in civil service hiring, noting that it has stalled due to demands to advance all components simultaneously.
Regarding ultra-Orthodox enlistment, Rotman argued that a gradual implementation of the draft law could have increased Haredi participation, reducing the burden on other soldiers. He criticized the judicial system for its handling of investigations into reservists from Unit 100, accusing it of being ready to "throw these reservists under the bus." Rotman asserted that his party, representing Religious Zionism, truly cares for soldiers and reservists.
On the political front, Rotman welcomed the idea of a broad national government if it remains loyal to the national camp's values, including sovereignty over all of Israel, judicial reform, and settlement expansion. He rejected boycott politics but stressed the necessity of a right-wing majority of 61 Knesset seats to advance these goals. He warned that failure to secure this majority could lead to a "shocking" alternative government, urging voters to ensure the national camp's dominance in the upcoming elections.
