Lapid: "If the Charedim don't enlist, they won't get the money"

Responding to Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s statement against the draft law, Opposition Leader and Yesh Atid Party chief Yair Lapid attacked the government today (Monday) at his party’s meeting for their refusal to change the draft exemption for Charedim.

“Already now, the IDF is stretched to the limit. There aren’t enough soldiers. There aren’t enough soldiers in Gaza, forces in Judea and Samaria have shortages. If there is a flare-up in the north, there aren’t enough soldiers to manage it. The IDF is too small, and the challenges are too great. The debate over the Draft Law is no longer just an ideological debate, it’s no longer a debate about religion and state or on obligations and rights – this is an existential debate. There are 66,000 Charedim of draft age. That’s 105 undrafted battalions. That’s what we lack. These are exactly the soldiers the IDF needs to protect the lives of the State of Israel. To win the war.”