Knesset votes down Lieberman's universal draft bill
'Reality will do what the proposal didn't,' FM says after MKs reject bill calling on all Israelis, including Arabs and haredim, to enlist at age 18
The Knesset on Wednesday voted down a bill that called to recruit all Israelis at age 18 to the army or national service – including ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis.
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In a preliminary reading, 74 Knesset members voted against the universal recruitment bill, which was submitted by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, while 22 voted for it – including a number of Kadima members.
According to Lieberman's proposal, those who refuse to serve in the army or perform national service will be ineligible for funding from the State.
After the Knesset voted down his party's universal bill, Lieberman said "reality will do what the bill didn't. Right now were focusing on August 1st (expiration of Tal Law)."
'It's important that this Tal Law clone won't be confirmed by Knesset," he added. "We have a real chance to not just to talk about equal share of the burden - but to implement it."
Before Kadima quit the coalition, MK David Rotem, who drafted the bill, warned that the adoption of the Plesner Committee's recommendations would not lead to equal share of the burden.
"Plesner wants to be liked by a part of the public, and others have an interest in being liked by other segments of the population. As soon as Plesner decided that Arabs do not have to serve – this means there is no equal distribution of the burden," he said.
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