Bill to lengthen mandatory military service splits opposition

Israel’s opposition parties are split on whether or not to support a government bill to temporarily extend IDF mandatory service from 32 to 36 months, which is expected to be fast-tracked through the Knesset during the next two weeks.

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid argued during a weekly press conference on Monday that the bill essentially saved the state money at the soldiers’ expense. Most combat soldiers who finished their mandatory service since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war immediately entered reserve service. They were paid the full compensation given to reserve soldiers, which is far higher than the salaries that are paid to soldiers in mandatory service. Lengthening mandatory service would therefore save the state money that the soldiers would have earned had they been in the reserves.

However, Lapid did not mention that the bill includes a provision for an increased salary from the 33rd month, though the sum has yet to be determined, and an additional stipend for soldiers who are already in mandatory service, and whose service has now been extended.

Democrats leader Yoav Golan has echoed opinions by the attorney general’s office and others, who have argued that any increase in the burden of service on those who already serve, needed to be accompanied by significant steps to draft those who do not serve – chiefly among the haredi public.

Principles that will serve as real support

United Right chairman MK Gideon Sa’ar on Monday rejected that argument, saying that the bill was crucial to answering immediate military needs and that it should not be linked to the haredi draft. Sa’ar accused those who opposed the bill of acting out of political interest.

National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz said he would support the bill, but on the condition that it included “a number of principles that will serve as real support for soldiers, and as the basis for additional changes in the [Knesset] Foreign Affairs and Defense committee.” These principles included shortening the bill’s applicability to two years instead of five; that the payments to soldiers rise significantly; and that the Defense Ministry begin sending draft orders to haredi men.

The differences of opinion among the opposition parties highlight the tension between their shared goal of toppling the government, and the sharply differing views on issues of national security. However, in response to The Jerusalem Post's query on Monday, Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman, who has advocated for the formation of a “Zionist government” that would not include the far-right, haredi, or Arab parties, said that these differences were small in comparison to broad agreements on core values.