This is what the elections are about – conscription for everyone is the order of the hour

Revital Swid, a lawyer and former legislator, argues that the conscription of Haredim into the IDF is the order of the hour and must be at the center of the upcoming elections. She criticizes the government for delaying a decision on the conscription issue through arrangements and compromises, and warns of the erosion of reserves and the shortage of soldiers. Swid calls for making equality of burden a coalition commitment and for electing a Zionist and liberal government.

Revital Swid, a lawyer for 35 years and a former legislator, argues in an opinion piece on ynet that the issue of conscripting Haredim into the IDF must be at the center of the upcoming elections. Three years after the October 7 massacre, she describes a reality where bereaved families, wounded soldiers, and reserve servicemen bear the security burden, while the coalition delays a decision through arrangements and compromises. Swid notes the June 2024 High Court ruling, which determined that the state must act to conscript yeshiva students in the absence of a legal exemption arrangement, but the government promoted delays and protection from enforcement. She emphasizes the shortage of soldiers and the erosion of reserves, warning that "heroism has a human limit." Swid, who grew up in religious Zionism and served in the Knesset for the Zionist Camp and Labor, calls for making equality of burden a coalition commitment. She cites Avigdor Lieberman's stance in 2019 as a model of willingness to pay a political price, and calls on the public to go to the polls and elect a Zionist, liberal, and responsible government.