Yair Golan, chairman of the centrist Democrats party, declared Tuesday that comprehensive Haredi conscription into the IDF is impractical and operationally undesirable, proposing instead that ultra-Orthodox youth participate in alternative national service through civilian frameworks like emergency services, firefighting, and hospitals.
The remarks represent a significant shift in opposition positioning on the issue that has dominated Israeli coalition politics for years and sparked his coalition to announce a potential government formation.
Speaking at a panel at the Molad Institute, Golan stated that conscription of the ultra-Orthodox community has become a "victim of cheap populism" and that the discourse surrounding the issue is detached from military and operational reality.
The Shift
According to Golan, the IDF neither can nor should rapidly absorb thousands of Haredi conscripts without adequate preparation. "You cannot draft all the Haredim tomorrow morning, even if there was a crazy law enacted an hour from now," Golan said. "And we also would not want to draft them all tomorrow morning, because we would not want to create an army where thousands of people arrive each conscription cycle and we have to create segregation conditions for men."
He continued: "We also don't want a population that lacks education, lacks motivation, lacks physical ability. In short, this doesn't work that way. Haredi conscription is a process, drafting Arabs is a process, drafting Haredi women is a process."
Alternative Service Framework
Golan proposed a model in which every Israeli youth—regardless of religious affiliation—provides "a year to the state" through designated national service frameworks. These would include Magen David Adom (emergency medical services), Israel Fire and Rescue Service, Israel Police, prison service, and hospitals.
"The army will not grow proportionally to the size of conscription cohorts each year. That's an unrealistic expectation," Golan stated.
Political Fallout
Right-wing lawmakers and Likud allies responded sharply, with some arguing that Golan's comments prove that the entire "burden-sharing equality" campaign led by opposition parties and media outlets was "a magnificent lie" designed for political purposes rather than genuine military necessity.
Right-wing coalition members characterized the remarks as an admission that demands for mandatory Haredi military service were driven by coalition politics rather than substantive security arguments.
Historical Context
The question of Haredi military service has been central to Israeli coalition politics for decades. Ultra-Orthodox political parties have maintained exemptions for yeshiva students since Israel's founding. Successive governments have attempted to pass conscription laws, including the current coalition's efforts to regulate, rather than mandate, Haredi military service.
Opposition parties, particularly Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu, have made ending Haredi exemptions a cornerstone campaign demand, arguing that burden-sharing is essential to Israeli democratic principles and IDF manpower needs.
IDF Manpower Considerations
Israel's military faces documented personnel shortages and has expanded recruitment of women and Arab Israelis in recent years. The IDF has not formally requested mass conscription of the ultra-Orthodox community, though some military officials have cited demographic challenges.
Golan's proposal for alternative civilian service models aligns with approaches used in some democratic militaries but represents a departure from the opposition's unified demand for military conscription specifically.
