IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir pushed to draft large numbers of haredim (ultra-Orthodox) into the military, as well as to pass other laws to expand the IDF during a closed session on Sunday in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC).
Zamir said that Israel has hundreds of dead, thousands of wounded, and soldiers suffering from PTSD, alongside ongoing strain on both active-duty and reserve forces, and that for this reason the IDF “must grow, and quickly,” according to a Knesset statement on the closed-door meeting.
The additional manpower is only a matter of equality and burden-sharing, but also of operational capability in light of the expanding IDF missions, Zamir added.
In late March, a warning Zamir gave at a security cabinet meeting about this issue was leaked, in which he said the IDF could soon collapse if there is no solution to the manpower shortage.
“I am raising 10 red flags before the IDF collapses into itself,” Zamir said during that cabinet meeting, The Jerusalem Post confirmed.
The leaking of the remarks set off a public political storm, including various moves by FADC Chairman Boaz Bismuth to either claim Zamir supported Bismuth’s policies on haredim in the IDF (Zamir does not) or to summon the IDF chief to clarify his warning.
Zamir put off responding during the Iran war, but finally agreed to speak to the FADC by around mid-May. Relations and trust between the sides are low, given leaks from the FADC against Zamir and the IDF, and Bismuth’s categorization of Zamir’s actions as not in line with the government’s policies.
IDF to 'Post': More soldiers needed
IDF sources also told the Post at the time that there was tremendous concern due to the severe manpower shortage, especially amid the ongoing war.
Even in peacetime, Israel would still need more soldiers – not fewer – on the border in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, the sources said.
If the government does not add more soldiers, there will be gaps, they added.
There has also been no law enacted to significantly increase haredi conscription into the army, contributing to the lack of manpower.
Following the debate sparked by Zamir’s leaked remarks, IDF Chief Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said publicly that the military needed around 15,000 more soldiers, including half of them combat fighters, by early 2027.
Furthermore, Zamir told the FADC on Sunday that it needed to pass bills to extend mandatory and reserve service.
Some analysts have said this might not have been necessary if the current government had started drafting haredim after the October 7 invasion by Hamas.
But given the lack of progress regarding that draft, even if a new law were passed now to draft haredim – and no political analysts believe this will happen, given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reliance on haredi political support – Zamir believes extending mandatory and reserve service would be necessary during the next couple of years of transition.
The Knesset is expected to advance a bill that is said to increase haredi conscription in its upcoming summer session, which began on Sunday.
Critics have argued that the bill being advanced up until now was a political measure intended to appease the haredi parties in Netanyahu’s coalition and would not effectively enforce conscription.
Zamir told committee members on Sunday that urgent legislation must be advanced through three laws, according to a Knesset statement about the closed-door meeting.
The three laws would include extending compulsory service, updating the reserve service law, and a conscription law.
The Knesset added that Zamir has said it is not his role to determine the law's content, but he expects an effective law that meets security needs.
Zamir was said to have added that expanding enlistment “is an operational and existential necessity” and stressed the need to pass legislation suited to the IDF and national security requirements.
He noted that anyone who joins the IDF as ultra-Orthodox will be allowed to remain ultra-Orthodox, while clarifying there is no intention to harm the integration of women in the IDF.
He also said he would not allow the IDF to be dragged into the political arena, according to the Knesset statement.
Zamir’s remarks about the current lack of manpower in the IDF during the meeting led to sharp criticism from opposition politicians, who argued that the government has been putting the country at risk by failing to advance legislation that would effectively enforce haredim.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, a leading rival candidate to Netanyahu ahead of the upcoming elections, said that “The continued draft evasion is costing the lives of our soldiers.
“They are being worn down, and this is leading to damage in operational readiness.”
“Because of the shortage of soldiers, they are required to capture the same location multiple times, simply because there is no one to hold it,” he continued.
“And there is a solution within reach: 100,000 healthy ultra-Orthodox young men who are not being drafted because of politics,” he argued.
Former IDF chief of staff and leader of the Yashar! Party Gadi Eisenkot said that “a government that does not demand enlistment for all at a time like this is a government that does not deserve to remain in office for even one more day.”
Yisrael Beytenu leader said that “the attempt by the October 7 government to advance the draft evasion law is a severe blow to the security and future of the State of Israel.”
The Post confirmed that Zamir also said at the FADC meeting that he is waiting for the political leadership to allow the IDF to resume fighting and that Israel was “stopped from striking Iran’s national infrastructure.”
The discussion focused on the Iranian and Lebanese arenas, during which Zamir briefed the committee on preparations for the campaign, its stages of development, the achievements attained, and the remaining challenges, the Knesset stated.
He also noted that the country’s security situation has significantly improved since the October 7 Hamas attacks, but that the campaign is not yet over and further action lies ahead.
Moreover, Zamir addressed recent incidents conducted by soldiers against religious symbols in Lebanon. A picture of an IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus had circulated last month.
Zamir said that “the IDF is a national institution that belongs to all the people of Israel and serves as a unifying force across society,” a source with knowledge of Zamir’s statement cited to the Post.
“Maintaining operational discipline and upholding strong moral and ethical standards are not optional; they are essential conditions for victory.
“I will continue to stand firmly behind the principles and values of the IDF, and I will not allow the military to be drawn into the political arena,” he added.