{"id":908116,"date":"2026-07-02T18:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/908116\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T18:52:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:52:20","slug":"idf-chief-says-soldiers-must-be-priority-after-basic-law-on-torah-study-advances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/908116\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF chief says soldiers must be priority after Basic Law on Torah study advances"},"content":{"rendered":"

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Thursday said that soldiers should be the ones to be prioritized after the Knesset advanced a highly controversial Basic Law<\/a> declaring Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel, a day earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soldiers and commanders in mandatory service, career service, and the reserves are the State of Israel\u2019s most important resource,\u201d Zamir said during an assessment this morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is fitting and right that they be first in the order of priorities to receive the state\u2019s appreciation through its decisions and resources, while ensuring care for them, their families, and their future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The proposal has drawn fierce opposition, including from within the coalition, with critics arguing that the measure is a transparent attempt to circumvent High Court rulings requiring the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students by legislatively entrenching Torah study as a national value to shield draft evaders from sanctions and prosecution.<\/p>\n

Absent a constitution, Basic Laws in Israel have the highest legal status in the country.<\/p>\n

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The advancement of the bill came after a series of mass Haredi demonstrations over the arrests of draft dodgers, who have blocked traffic and targeted police and judges in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) speaks to United Torah Judaism lawmakers Moshe Gafni (right) and Yitzhak Goldknopf in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

On Thursday, a senior military officer again stressed to lawmakers that the IDF urgently needs the government to pass legislation to address the army\u2019s personnel shortages.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the Knesset\u2019s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate\u2019s Planning and Personnel Management Division, said the IDF needs three laws that will help solve the manpower crisis: \u201can effective conscription law,\u201d lengthening mandatory service, and a new reserve duty law \u2014 given that currently the IDF relies on emergency call-up orders with various limitations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe standing army is reaching its limit, for the overwhelming majority of the year it is at war, and there are many casualties. The intensity of the fighting is only increasing, and this is what the coming years are going to look like,\u201d Tayeb said.<\/p>\n

The IDF has repeatedly urged the government to extend mandatory military service for men to 36 months again, after it was shortened to 30 months in August 2024. The government has so far refused to approve this move. The first cohort enlisted under this shorter service period will be discharged in January 2027, further exacerbating manpower issues unless the existing law is changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cExtending service will provide an answer for force buildup and burnout, as well as flexibility,\u201d he said, while noting that, meanwhile, the IDF has \u201cdone a great deal to expand its ranks,\u201d including establishing dozens of reserve battalions, forming two new infantry battalions, and returning \u201ctens of thousands of personnel to [reserve] service.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also taking unprecedented steps to integrate members of the ultra-Orthodox community, [but] the reality shows that what we are doing is not enough,\u201d Tayeb said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tBrig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate\u2019s Planning and Personnel Management Division, attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing at the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 30, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

He warned that in January 2027, \u201cwe will have a cohort gap. Because we operate on a four-month cycle, a service length of 30 months does not allow continuous rotation between cohorts, and thus a gap of an entire cohort is created.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means the loss of thousands of combat soldiers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Calls for Haredi conscription have mounted as Israel has fought a multifront war since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre, while facing a growing manpower shortage. The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently needs 12,000 more recruits, and Zamir has reportedly warned ministers that the army will \u201ccollapse in on itself\u201d if it does not get more manpower.<\/p>\n

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.<\/p>\n

Ultra-Orthodox parties have sought to preserve the military service exemptions following a 2024 High Court ruling that found them unconstitutional, leading to some state benefits being curtailed.<\/p>\n

Ariela Karmel contributed to this report.<\/p>\n


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