Democrats chairman Yair Golan said the IDF is not equipped to absorb thousands of Haredi recruits who would need gender-separated conditions and accompaniment from scratch, according to a video from a Molad Institute panel published by Dvir Luger. Golan called the conscription debate a victim of "cheap populism" and said passing any law would not solve the structural problems. He added that Israel does not want a population lacking education, motivation or physical fitness, and that the military "will not grow in proportion to draft-cycle sizes."
Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats, said the IDF is not equipped to absorb thousands of Haredi recruits, telling a panel at the Molad Institute the military would need to provide special conditions — gender separation and accompaniment from scratch — for each draft cycle. According to a video published Wednesday by Dvir Luger, Golan called the public discourse on Haredi conscription a victim of "cheap populism" and said even a law rushed through "within an hour" would not solve the structural problems on the ground. He argued that every 18- or 19-year-old — with or without a service year — should give the state at least one year of genuinely supervised public service, and that the army will not grow in proportion to draft-cycle sizes.
The remarks come about two hours after The Zioneer's 09:56 report, in which Golan was quoted at an election campaign meeting calling the push to conscript Haredi men "cheap populism" and saying not all can be drafted. The new footage adds his assessment of military capacity and his call for a "founding principle" of universal service.
Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff, has weighed in repeatedly on the conscription debate in recent months — including a July 16 retort to Shas leader Aryeh Deri over the enlistment order, as The Zioneer reported. The Molad panel footage carries photo credit to the Center for the Renewal of Democracy; the full remarks were not independently verified.
3 developments
- DevelopingGoldknopf claims IDF has 2 million soldiers, questions need for Haredi conscription
- DevelopingYair Golan tells Deri: 'Take the grandchildren to the toy store, the enlistment order is on the way'
- DevelopingYair Golan: State must not send soldiers to war if it cannot bring them home
- DevelopingIDF chief calls bill freezing Haredi enlistment 'inconceivable'
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