Defense Minister Yoav Galant in a statement on the conscription law/Ministry of Defense Spokesperson
Photography: Elad Malka
It's hard to ignore the coincidence and the sense of humor of the political dates: today (Tuesday), when the government convenes to approve the conscription exemption outline that commemorates the evasion of ultra-orthodox youth from service in the IDF, the first anniversary of "Lil Galant" will be celebrated. Exactly one year ago, on the 26 In March, crowds of Israelis took to the streets for the largest spontaneous protest demonstration the country had ever known, which prevented the dismissal of the defense minister and stopped the predatory legal revolution that the right-wing government had promoted at the beginning of its journey.
The dire warning that Gallant sent at the time, about a tangible danger to the country's security, was indeed realized in the blood of the murdered and kidnapped in the October 7th massacre, but the 1964 government did not change its course. Exactly one year later, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu again rushed forward with his partners with a unilateral evasion law, which, again, is contrary to the position of all the professionals.
As in the legal revolution, this time as well The security system, the Ministry of Finance, and the legal advice to the government are warning of tremendous damage that will affect Israel for years to come. And in the present, it will increase the burden and deepen the inequality and division between the serving sectors who pay with their lives and with their death for the state and the ultra-orthodox sector that receives an exemption from bereavement and enjoys special rights at the expense of the serving's tax money and the producers.
A year later, the warnings came true.
Protests after the dismissal of Galant/official website, Tamir Karlenstein
The War of the Iron Swords could have been a historic opportunity for the establishment of a new social contract and the integration of ultra-Orthodox in the military, civil and national service, especially in light of the IDF's urgent need for more troops. But in the draft plan submitted today for government approval, there is nothing good for the state, just another combine that serves the Netanyahu and the rabbis and their representatives in his coalition. And yet, as if there was no October 7th, they promote it shamelessly, and preach another moral about the importance of unity.
The Defense Minister, who last month gave the "Galant 2 speech" in which he announced that he would not promote a strict conscription law On the other hand, he will not be present in the government today. The urgent visit to Washington provided him with an excuse for his absence, and also for Netanyahu - who approved a trip to the United States for the first time since the beginning of the term - it probably suited him to avoid, for the moment, the worsening of the conflict, and headlines that herald a decision on service in the IDF with the addition: Minister Security voted against.
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It was appropriate to avoid, at the moment, aggravating the conflict.
Gallant's visit to Washington/Ministry of Defense, Elad Malka
But Gallant's position has not changed, so the approval of the outline by the government will only postpone the decision point by three months: Gallant is only willing to promote a law that will receive the support of the state camp and enjoy broad approval.
The former chiefs of staff, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, made it clear that they oppose the law in its current form, and are expected to come out strongly against it today at the cabinet meeting, but Gantz has also already moved forward, on his own initiative, at the decision point: in a statement he delivered at the beginning of the week, he stated that the conscription law is a red line, but Only when it passes in the Knesset, not in the government.
However, the resistance of the chiefs of staff may generate more waves of confusion around the government table and on the coalition benches, and make it difficult for the ministers and state judges in Likud and religious Zionism such as Nir Barkat, Ofir Sofer and Amichai Shikli.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister's office was feverishly engaged in coalition and Likud maintenance talks ahead of the vote.
This is just the trailer: as long as the law is promoted in a form that is adapted to the needs of the ultra-Orthodox only, the 64 fingers are also really not safe.
Expected to come out strongly against the law.
Gantz/Flash 90, Jonathan Zindel
In a classic Yariv Levin method, as in the legal revolution, the government secretariat first distributed a particularly draconian version of the law with a goat: raising the exemption age to 35.
Yesterday morning, in transparent timing, the goat was removed from the law in an attempt to soften the fierce public and political opposition.
But it was not enough to cover the other sections, the "Israel Bluff" of quotas and goals and future sanctions that will simply perpetuate inequality as a burden forever.
As with "Lil Galant" in particular and the legal revolution in general, it is possible that Netanyahu underestimates the strength of public opposition, and that promoting the conscription law will bring the masses back to the streets - and put pressure on the sides of his coalition.
At the time of writing these lines, it is also still unclear whether the updated proposal will receive the blessing of the legal advisor to the government and what changes will be required in order for her to agree to request a postponement from Bagetz that would buy Netanyahu more time to resolve a seemingly intractable crisis.
If Beget does not agree to the postponement request, and the threat to stop the payment of allowances to the Yeshiva and Abrachi comes true - the crisis will affect him even earlier, from the inside.
The first brick that falls from the emergency government.
Sa'ar announces his retirement/TPS, Yossi Zeliger
Meanwhile, last night, exactly one year after the first Gallant speech, Gideon Sa'ar announced his retirement from the government, after his demand to join the war cabinet was not met, mainly due to Netanyahu's coalition considerations who feared a confrontation with Ben Gabir.
Sa'ar's move, which in the meantime alone barely exceeds the percentage of obstruction in the polls, will not lead to a spontaneous civil eruption like Lil Gallant, but it is the first brick that falls from the emergency government, which brings closer the day when Netanyahu will be left without a protective envelope, internally and internationally, for the 64th government.
Sa'ar's retirement will increase the pressure on Gantz and Eisenkot to cut, while Netanyahu, on the other hand, is pushing them out: from the conscription law, through the unprecedented confrontation with the Biden administration, to compartmentalization and shuffling in the negotiations for the release of the kidnapped, the main reason they have remained inside until now.
It seems to be a matter of time, perhaps even shorter than imagined, until the next bricks fall.
More on the same topic:
Yoav Galant
Protests
demonstrations
Benjamin Netanyahu
The conscription law
Haredim recruitment
religious
Recruitment to the IDF