Minister Amichai Chikli and MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday and criticized the draft laws being developed, as well as calling for them to be limited to a single year.
The letter claims: “The ongoing state of war and the number of soldiers needed to carry out security assignments for the foreseeable future demand new preparations and appropriate legislation.”
“Israel’s current security needs demand that more people join in shouldering the burden. Unlike ordinary routine, we can no longer accept the state in which certain groups in our society shoulder the burden of security, along with its significant prices, while others in Israel continue their routine.”
“The draft of the law published send the message that, 'What has been is what will be' (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The burden of security has grown, but the people carrying it are the same. We can no longer support this perversion of our values and morals.”
The three also stated they did not want the matter to be forced: “We do not believe that it is right, or possible, to change this reality by force, but rather through extending a hand of brotherhood to other populations. Everyone must understand the new synchronous situation that requires a new civilian situation.”
“We hope that through conversation, we can open new possibilities to increase the number of potential personnel serving in the IDF.
“Alongside our desire and hope for a change through dialogue and agreements, we must also lead a change in the order of national priorities. National resources, which come from Israeli taxpayers, must be directed to those who their national burdens. The State must place security at the top of its list of priorities, and invest additional resources in it, including expanding compensation and support for reservists, who along with their families bear the burden of the State's security.
“Because this process is one of inclusivity, which requires respectful conversation and genuine desire to reach agreements and understandings, it will take time. On the other hand, the needs of the IDF are immediate and urgent, and so we demand that the legislation proposed be brought as a temporary law for a single year only. During this year we hope to reach agreements that will allow additional populations to take part, and to suitably compensate the populations currently in service.”