Israeli Defense Minister: We Need to Recruit All Segments of Society to Fight

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that "recruitment must include all segments of society, and we need everyone to protect ourselves." Earlier today, the Israeli Knesset voted in favor of a recruitment bill that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aims to pass in order to exempt Haredi Jews (religious Jews) from military service; 63 members voted in favor while 57 opposed it. The bill is set to be referred to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further deliberations, research, and voting in the second and third readings, before becoming law. Gallant voted against the recruitment bill, having previously expressed his opposition to the bill in its current form, declaring that he would not support it without an agreement among government leaders. Gallant emphasized that "the people are eager for national decisions with broad consensus, and trivial policies should not be made at the expense of soldiers."