Feiglin pushes to abolish draft

Newly installed Likud Knesset Member Moshe Feiglin plans to introduce legislation to abolish the IDF draft.

In a letter addressed to political party leaders, the hawkish politician decried initiatives to institute a universal draft law that would force the ultra-Orthodox to enlist, saying such legislation could harm Israel’s social fabric and present meagre benefits that would be outweighed by the downsides.

A volunteer-based army would be more professional, and the IDF should thus draft only those it wanted and needed in its ranks, Maariv quoted Feiglin as saying. In case of a manpower shortage, the law should give the army the option of drafting more people, he said, stressing that a temporary universal draft was widely accepted in military emergencies.

According to Feiglin’s plan, combat recruits would serve for at least three years. They’d be payed minimum wage throughout the course of training and receive a higher salary for the remainder of their service. Meanwhile, those serving in the reserves would be given benefits, including monetary incentives.

“As of today, large segments of Israeli society — not only the ultra-Orthodox — find ways to shirk mandatory service,” Feiglin wrote. Additionally, only a small percentage of Israelis served in the reserves, he explained, positing that “mandatory military service is one of the factors that divide and crumble Israeli society.”

Feiglin said the draft was a burden for the army that detracted from its professionalism and caused “hidden unemployment” among soldiers.

I agree. More here.