Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the B’Yachad party, said on Tuesday that a “fundamental condition” for joining the next government would be the passage of a law barring draft dodgers and those who encourage IDF draft evasion from serving in the country’s security cabinet.
The B’Yachad party is one of the leading parties in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the October 27 elections.
“We will pass the ‘Deri Law,’ which stipulates that a draft dodger will not be allowed to sit in the cabinet – anyone who dodged IDF service or encourages draft evasion will not be allowed to sit in the cabinet,” he said.
The former prime minister made the remarks at the Reichman University’s International Counterterrorism Conference, where he also stressed the importance of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription to the IDF. He warned that "draft evasion is a strategic threat to Israel’s security."
Bennett named the legislation after Shas chairman Arye Deri, who leads the haredi Sephardic party and has been a key partner in Netanyahu's coalition.
Shas party criticized for draft stance amid IDF manpower shortage
Though Deri served briefly in the IDF, the Shas party has come under fire over its stance on haredi conscription to the IDF amid the military’s severe manpower shortage.
The haredi parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – encouraged Netanyahu’s coalition to advance legislation that critics argued would not increase haredi enlistment during the government's term.
The haredi parties had also boycotted coalition voting, stating that they would not cooperate with Netanyahu’s coalition until there was progress on contentious legislation they had been pushing for.
The IDF has repeatedly warned of an urgent manpower shortage after three years of war.
IDF chief: Military may collapse if no solution found for manpower shortage
In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said the IDF could soon collapse if no solution was found for the manpower shortage.
“We will no longer accept the distorted situation in which someone who boasts that he does not send his grandchildren into battle is the one who sends our sons and daughters into battle,” Bennett stated.
“Anyone who does not know what it means to lie awake at night in fear of a knock on the door cannot sit in a war cabinet,” he added.
Shas MK Michael Malkieli responded to Bennett’s announcement, slamming him in return and calling for a law to be passed in the next government to ban Bennett from being able to run in the elections again.
“In the next government, we will pass the ‘Bennett Law’: A political opportunist who steals the premiership with six seats, against the wishes of his voters, will not be allowed to run for the Knesset again,” Malkieli stated.
Bennett has drawn a red line against forming a coalition with the haredi parties, and called for reversing contentious haredi-backed legislation passed by the outgoing government.
He has taken a hardline stance toward haredi conscription to the IDF, as his party’s platform seeks to cut all state funding for anyone evading military service and bar any exemptions from the IDF.
Bennett has also developed a plan to reform Israel’s education system, proposing that a government led by him would cut state funding to haredi educational institutions that do not teach core curriculum studies.