The Hebrew newspaper Maariv reported today, Friday, that the Israeli cabinet has approved an extension of mandatory military service for soldiers to up to 36 months for the next eight years. The extension of reserve service aims to increase the number of soldiers in the army in light of the challenges posed by the war. According to the newspaper, the Israeli army intends to raise the age of exemption from reserves from 40 to 45 years for regular soldiers and from 45 to 50 years for officers, and the duration of annual call-up service will significantly increase.
The proposal has sparked anger in Israel, with opposition leader Yair Lapid stating that the new conscription law is a betrayal of soldiers and another indication that the ruling coalition led by Netanyahu has learned nothing from the events of October 7. Meanwhile, the leader of the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, Avigdor Lieberman, remarked that proposing the conscription law at this specific time sends a message that divides the people in Israel and harms soldiers and the national security of the country.
In 2015, the Israeli army reduced the duration of mandatory service for most male citizens from 36 months to 32 months and was planning for further reductions in 2024 before the outbreak of the war in Gaza last October. The newspaper pointed out that current mobilization within the Israeli army is the largest in Israel's history, with 287,000 reservists recruited for combat, while the conscription law for haredim has sparked a wave of anger among religious Jews.
