Israelischer Armeechef warnt vor neuem Gesetz

Kurz vor der Sommerpause verabschiedet die israelische Knesset noch verschiede, höchst umstrittene Gesetze, die vor allem dem Erhalt der Regierungskoalition von Benyamin Netanjahu dienen sollen.

Eines sieht vor, dass Strafen gegenüber Haredim ausgesetzt werden, die sich der Einberufung in die Armee widersetzen. Damit möchte Netanjahu die ultraorthodoxen Parteien bei der Stange halten und tut dies, obwohl der Chef der IDF ihn sogar in einem Brief eindringlich vor diesem Vorhaben gewarnt hatte, da die Armee unter chronischem Mangel an Soldaten leidet:

In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said the IDF could soon collapse if no solution was found for the manpower shortage. (...) Zamir warned on Monday that the bill to freeze the arrest of draft evaders would harm recruitment and create serious security risks for the IDF, penning a letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz on the matter.

Auch seitens der Opposition wurde das Gesetz scharf kritisiert:

Following the passage of the law, opposition party leaders in the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu condemned the legislation amid the military's manpower shortage, warning that it harms the IDF and creates a security risk.

Opposition party leaders have also vowed to repeal the law after the elections, which are set for October 27.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the Together Party, stated that the government was entering the history books as "the most anti-Zionist government in the history of the State of Israel, a government that has acted against those who serve the country and against the Torah."

"This is a deliberate and conscious blow to the IDF throughout the war and up to this day."

"We will ensure that the outgoing government is investigated not only over October 7 itself, but also over its actions after October, foremost among them its abandonment of the IDF and its soldiers," he added.

Yisrael Beytenu leader and former defense minister MK Avidgor Liberman said that the "draft-evasion coalition is carrying out a liquidation sale of the State of Israel and the most fundamental values of Israeli society."