Didn't the say they wanted mandatory conscription at age 18 with penalties for non-compliance?

of the left

Mofaz wanted 22 to be the age for haredi enlistment which makes sense because these guys come from sheltered backgrounds and they are just not ready to enter the military at 18. Let them leave home & do some yeshiva time the draft them. The reason Kadima pulled out was Mofaz wanted 22 and Bibi wanted 26, both were willing to go with the draft. Kadima will have objected because they know 18 is to young Labour objected because had this bill passed Liberman would have looked like a hero and Labor would no longer have been able to go into an election using the Tal Law to attack Bibi. The religious & nationalists rejected it for obvious reasons and I imagine at least most if not all Likud voted against it because 18 is to young for haredi. Its just a shame Bibi & Mofaz didn't come to a compromise on this issue because that huge coalition was a gift which comes along once in a blue moon where real changes could have been made on a wide variety of issues. As long as Bibi had Liberman & Mofaz he would have been able to get things done without the single issue parties blocking it but now that great opportunity is gone and we are back to traditional weak government where single issue parties hold the real power because without them the government will fall.

There is a glaring fault with the dominant government system in the West. and that includes Israel. Democracy ensures everyone is equal, so no one can give orders or criticise. A decent command structure breaks down. There is a way forward on this issue. Some Rabbis and leaders may need to sit down with certain people for a little chat tout de suite, Tent of Meeting style...

"The phrase is often used for its metaphorical meaning of dispelling ignorance. The phrase comes from the third verse of the Book of Genesis. In the King James Bible, it reads: 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 1:2 - And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 1:3 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 1:4 - And God saw the light, and it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Thank you for thorough and informative response. Most of us are not aware of the amount of consensus counterposed against differing means of implementation.

...I think it is more important that the haredi bring their children to adulthood at 18 and enter the idf as others, or perform national service. Soldiers now in the Idf carry the burden for them and they are becoming seen as leeches and opportunists. Many would like to paint themselves as being holy to avoid responsibility and to seek opportunity. Both bib and kadima are engaged in political tricks to maintain their own constituent power.

in re reading your post it makes no sense. why should they be sent to yeshiva for more time. They appear mature enough to abuse other jews, calling them non jews, because they set themselves up as G_ds spokesmen. There sin of vanity is matched only by their arrogance. Are you saying they are arrogan big babies or is it all an opportunistic ruse? They think they are better jews than those currently in the IDF.

on this one and it IS a damn shame that the Knesset voted it down. This entire Israeli government is a farce. Politics and money! Only God Protect us.

And Kadima is more concerned with Haradim serving than with Arabs.

Such a bill has to pass sooner or later, nothing else makes sense. Israelis will not accept to continue as frayerim. Netanyahu can still bring a similar bill to a vote and succeed with it, otherwise Netanyahu will be gone from the political scene soon.

Postpone the conscription of thousands because they come from socalled "sheltered " backgrounds? The army is in charge of determining who is fit (mentally and physically) to do military service and it's on an individual basis. Another 3 or 4 years in the Yeshiva does absolutely nothing in regard to alltering the "sheltered" background syndrome. It does of course give them time to marry and have 2 to 4 children and what purpose would that serve? Thousands doing 9 to 5 jobs and receiving thousands of shekels per month while ":others" do what they have been doing for 60+ years. Maybe a zionist, but not a realistic one.

The IDF's mission is to defend Israel and its citizens. Before Arabs are forced to join, they must feel like true citizens, willing to defend their country. The social programs for integration of the Arab communities into Israeli society must be expanded and given the priority that befits them. As far as the Haredim, there is no excuse: they must enlist at 18, like everybody else. No special treatment or privileges.

The Haredim are in the process of removing Numbers 32:6 where Moshe relays G-d's words and tells the tribes of Reuven and Gad that your brothers are going to war and you just sit here. They can not accept G-d's rebuke of just sitting in their Yeshivot and shirking all national responsibility. The truth is that the Haredim read the Torah and continue to violate the principles of the Torah while claiming exclusivity and exemption to rights and responsibilities.