Reserve Colonel Ofer Winter on Thursday sharply criticized politicians who have been making sweeping promises about conscripting ultra-Orthodox men into the Israel Defense Forces.
Winter, a well-known former IDF commander, challenged the credibility of political figures claiming they would draft the entire Haredi population. "I'm hearing many politicians in recent days saying 'I will draft all the Haredim,' 'I will draft 99% of the Haredim,'" he said. "Tell me, all of you who have been in politics for the last 20 years—how many Haredim have you actually brought to the IDF over all these years, or how many Haredim will you really bring to the IDF?"
Winter accused politicians of exploiting the issue for political gain without delivering tangible outcomes. "Besides trying to rake in political capital on the back of the people of Israel and ultimately bringing zero results, what else have you done?" he asked.
While affirming that drafting Haredim is necessary, Winter insisted it cannot be achieved through empty rhetoric. "Haredi conscription is mandatory, but it won't happen through populism," he stated. "So enough already with all these lies."
