From the "Evasion" Law to the "Soft Draft" Law: From the Covenant of Servers to the Covenant of Procrastinators | Dr. Eitan Lesri

Dr. Eitan Lesri argues that the Israeli left has shown hypocrisy on the issue of Haredi conscription: in the past it demanded full conscription using the term 'evasion', and now, when the Haredim are needed to form a coalition, it speaks of a 'soft conscription law' and dialogue. He cites conscription data and the Bismuth outline, and asserts that the 'Covenant of Servers' has turned out to be the 'Covenant of Procrastinators'.

Dr. Eitan Lesri, a former advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, argues in an opinion piece that the Israeli left has shown hypocrisy on the issue of Haredi conscription. According to him, for three decades the left ran a campaign against Haredi 'evasion', using terms like 'equality of burden' and 'Covenant of Servers', and demanded full conscription with sanctions. But now, when the Haredim are needed to form a coalition without Benjamin Netanyahu, the same politicians speak of 'dialogue', 'flexibility', and a 'soft conscription law'. Lesri cites conscription data: 2,200 in 2023, 2,811 in 2024, and 4,300 in 2025, and mentions the Bismuth outline for the gradual conscription of 31,000 Haredim over four years. He criticizes the use of the issue as a political tool, noting that the left is now willing to make generous arrangements with the Haredim, while in the past it called similar compromises 'capitulation to extortion'. The article concludes with the assertion that the 'Covenant of Servers' has turned out to be the 'Covenant of Procrastinators'.

From the "Evasion" Law to the "Soft Draft" Law: From the Covenant of Servers to the Covenant of Procrastinators | Dr. Eitan Lesri