Former Israel Defense Forces chief Gadi Eisenkot wants military or national service for all Israelis as he holds onto hope of succeeding Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister.
On Friday, Mr. Eisenkot reaffirmed that mandatory service for all Israelis was a foundation of his campaign to unseat Mr. Netanyahu.
The Oct. 27 election produced no clear majority.
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Mr. Eisenkot said the four principles of his campaign are a recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; acceptance of the values of the country’s Declaration of Independence; mandatory national service to strengthen the IDF; and an acknowledgement that Hamas is a terror organization that should be dismantled.
“I am full of hope that at the beginning of next week, I will receive the mandate to form a government,” Mr. Eisenkot said on social media. “It is my intention to turn to all the factions in the House and invite their members to join as partners, if they are willing to sign on to those principles, under my leadership. Now or later.”
Military conscription has emerged as one of the most explosive political fault lines in Israel. While most Jewish citizens are required to serve in the IDF at age 18, an exemption is granted to full-time Torah students in the country’s ultra-Orthodox community.
While Avigdor Lieberman said his secular nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party would not join a government that includes members of the country’s Arab coalition, he said it was important for the anti-Netanyahu bloc in the Knesset to be flexible on other issues.
“You cannot have it all. This includes the issue of the conscription law as well,” he said Friday. “The national interest of the state of Israel and the Jewish people must stand above every other consideration.”
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