BBC News – Israeli PM Netanyahu’s party backs conscription law
Quote:
Mr Netanyahu earlier urged the party to approve the proposal, saying that “everyone must bear the burden”.
“We will provide positive incentives to those who serve and negative incentives to draft dodgers,” the prime minister said.
Mr Netanyahu’s main coalition partner, Kadima, earlier threatened to leave the coalition unless the changes were approved.
But other coalition partners representing ultra-Orthodox Jews made opposite threats, squeezing Mr Netanyahu into a tight political corner.
After Sunday’s vote, the prime minister is reported to have agreed with the Kadima leader, Shaul Mofaz, to form a panel to draft the new law.
In February, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the so-called Tal Law was unconstitutional and set an ultimatum for a revised law to be brought in by August.
That’s 10% of Yeshiva students who will now have to do military service, and 10% of the population are not Jewish, so I make it a 20% increase in conscription.
It’s going to cause changes in the IDF, in the Hasid Orthodox community, the Ultra Religious parties, and the non-Jewish residents of Israel.
I don’t think it’s gearing up for war – more like a case of trying to bring social engineering to parts of Israeli soceity that don’t get basic military training.
2 years for Army, 4 for Navy, 5 for Air Force, and of course once you’re out, you still have to do one month per year active service.
