Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) on Monday morning participated in a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, calling for the passage of the Draft Law.
"We need to look at those serving in the IDF and at the reality in Israeli society with open eyes," he said. "The way that we served in the IDF for the past 70 years was correct, but it's not appropriate for the coming years. At the end of the day, out of the entire Israeli population, only about half serve."
"This is no longer acceptable, and we must achieve a comprehensive reform, with three goals: managing the shortened service, which will allow us to manage the lack that the IDF has at present; the Draft Law, as the Supreme Court has ordered us to; and most important, the reform in military service, from military service to service of the people and the State.
"The IDF was and will remain extremely important, but at its side we need additional security services, emergency bodies such as firefighters, police, and communal aid institutions."
Gantz added: "I have created a professional staff which is working on the matter, and we will continue to develop this on the professional and security levels. I hope that we will pass the Draft Law, as we agreed on it with our coalition partners. If there is no Knesset and no government, then there also will not be a Draft Law. It's a shame to miss the opportunity before us."