Either Core Studies or the Army – The Dilemma of the Haredi Public | Gershon Baskin and Sami Zinger

An opinion article by Gershon Baskin and Sami Zinger argues that the debate over drafting Haredim misses the broader question: does Israel need more soldiers due to a security necessity or due to a policy of expanding settlements. The authors propose a new social deal: core studies, integration into the labor market, and national service instead of full conscription, while also demanding an end to settlement expansion.

An opinion article by Dr. Gershon Baskin and Sami Zinger, published in Maariv, argues that the debate over drafting Haredim misses a broader question: does Israel need more soldiers because of a real security need, or because of a policy that expands settlements? The authors note that the Haredi public is in a crisis that has worsened since October 7, and that political decisions such as Ben-Gurion's exemption and the abolition of quotas during Begin's time created a broad Haredi autonomy that does not bear the economic burden. They claim that the settlement enterprise, which received enormous budgets, poses a more immediate security threat, and that the army is required to defend hundreds of settlements and outposts. Instead of an endless debate over conscription, they propose a new social deal: not everyone must serve in the army, but everyone must contribute through national service, while ensuring core studies and integration into the labor market. They call on the Haredi leadership to choose a path of integration and to demand that the state stop creating unnecessary military missions through settlement expansion.