Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) on Sunday gave a security briefing to members of the cabinet, in which he reportedly implored them to approve measures proposed by the Defense Ministry to lengthen IDF mandatory service, increase the number of days of reserve duty per year, and extend the cutoff age for reservists by five years.
A number of ministers criticized Gallant during the briefing for his insistence to pass a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft bill with “broad agreement.” Gallant said a number or months ago that the Defense Ministry would only support such a bill if it was agreed to by MK Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which was then part of the government. Gantz has since left the government, but Gallant has not retracted his insistence on “broad agreement.”
In addition, Gallant was the only member of the coalition to vote against a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late May to take up a version of a haredi draft bill passed in 2022 during the Lapid-Bennett government. Gallant, along with the opposition, argued that the bill was not relevant since it did not take into account post-October 7 security needs.
Divisions on the haredi draft bill
In Sunday’s briefing, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi asked Gallant why he was not insisting on the same “broad agreement” regarding the matter of lengthening IDF service, a spokesperson for Karhi confirmed.
According to KAN News, the defense minister responded that “there is a difference between the need to draft soldiers and the need to exempt people from service.” Gallant also reportedly chastised the ministers for opposing the measures to lengthen IDF service.
According to KAN, Netanyahu accused Gallant of “the height of cynicism and politicization” of the matter, as his insistence on Gantz’s agreement was in essence an attempt to bring down the government, as Gantz’s party “doesn’t want to draft haredim – they want a crisis.”
Netanyahu reportedly added that “bringing down the government on the [haredi] draft bill will block freeing the hostages,” to which Gallant responded, according to his spokesperson, “The political attempt to link freeing the hostages and an exemption from service for haredim is dangerous and irresponsible.”
Gantz responded to the prime minister’s comments in a video statement: “Prime minister, I will say it clearly: an Israeli Service Plan – which will lead to real change, which will advance us towards equality, which will safeguard the people’s army and Israeli society for generations ahead, and assist us in the difficult and long war in which many more fighters and service people are necessary – is an urgent national necessity.
“A law that gives an exemption during war time is an urgent coalition necessity for you, and petty politics on the backs of those who serve and [it is also at the expense of] national security.”
Gallant has publicly accused Netanyahu of involving politics in decision making on national security. Four Knesset members from the Likud party wrote a letter to Netanyahu last week demanding that he fire Gallant prior to a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The four are MKs Osher Shkalim, Ariel Kalner, Tally Gotliv, and Keti Shitrit. Shitrit later retracted her signature.