national draft reform

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (photo: Koby Gidon / Government Press Office)

Racism, militarism and ultra-capitalism: The government’s real vision

Three major laws were passed in the Knesset this week: One against the Palestinians parties, the second against the ultra-Orthodox, and the third against the prospect of peace. Netanyahu’s coalition mobilized this week to pass its centerpiece legislation: the draft reform, the governance law and the referendum law. It’s not a coincidence that those three…

By Noam Sheizaf March 15, 2014

National unity gov’t splits; PM likely to call, win early elections

After only 70 days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mega-coalition shrank back to 66 members of Knesset yesterday. Kadima, the Knesset’s biggest party, decided to leave the government over the failure to reach an agreement on national draft reform. A few takeaways: 1. The entire maneuver that resulted in the national unity government was a mistake by…

By Noam Sheizaf July 18, 2012

Debate on draft reform moves Israel further away from democracy

If Netanyahu’s government doesn’t come up with a solution, the army could soon start enlisting all of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox citizens. But while it is convenient to see the debate on a universal draft as a step toward equality, Israeli militarism should be challenged by decreasing the army’s size, not enlarging it. The deadline is…

By Noam Sheizaf July 5, 2012

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