Netanyahu’s haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft crisis threatens his coalition, but a sweeping national service deal could help him win over centrist voters and secure a more stable government.By Jonathan Pollard, World Israel NewsIf Prime Minister Netanyahu hopes to preserve his political alliances while meeting the country’s urgent defense requirements, he must fundamentally rethink the terms of national service.The solution is not another narrow compromise granting draft exemptions in exchange for parliamentary support. What Israel needs is a grand bargain that establishes genuine civic responsibility across all sectors of society, protects the religious integrity of the haredi community, and strengthens the military’s ability to fight and win wars.Such an agreement would require political courage. But it could also transform Netanyahu’s greatest coalition liability into a historic opportunity.End the Double Standard on Draft ExemptionsAny credible agreement must begin with fairness.The Israeli public has grown increasingly resentful of a system in which the burden of military service falls disproportionately on those already serving, while others remain exempt.The problem of unequal service obligations cannot be addressed by focusing exclusively on the haredi community. Every exemption granted to an otherwise eligible secular Jewish youth must also withstand rigorous scrutiny.With the military facing a critical manpower shortage, the government must ensure that exemptions are justified, transparent, and consistently enforced.Under a genuinely equitable framework, every medically eligible secular Jewish youth should be required to serve in the military or perform an approved form of national civil service. Exemptions should be limited and justified by clearly defined criteria.The principle is simple: civic responsibility cannot be selectively enforced.By establishing this standard, Netanyahu would gain the political credibility necessary to negotiate a parallel arrangement with the ultra-Orthodox leadership.Put Haredi Recruits Where the Military Needs ThemThe key to a workable haredi agreement is recognizing that military service need not mean forcing every recruit into a frontline combat unit.The IDF depends on an enormous logistical infrastructure, including transportation, supply, maintenance, communications, and administrative support. Without these functions, even the most capable combat formations cannot operate effectively.Most haredi recruits should therefore be directed into specialized noncombat positions, commonly known as jobnik assignments.These roles would allow religiously observant soldiers to make an indispensable contribution while maintaining an environment compatible with their religious commitments.They could also reduce the military’s dependence on outside contractors and civilian personnel in sensitive logistical functions, including transportation and supply operations where security, reliability, and accountability are paramount.This is not a concession to military weakness. It is a practical application of manpower where it can deliver immediate operational value.Build Haredi Combat Units Around Torah StudyAt the same time, Israel must expand dedicated haredi combat formations, including units modeled on Netzah Yehuda.Not every ultra-Orthodox recruit belongs in a logistics position. Some are physically and psychologically suited for combat and should be given the opportunity to serve in elite, disciplined formations that respect their religious way of life.To develop this manpower pool, the government should establish and fund haredi adaptations of the successful Hesder Yeshiva framework, combining intensive Torah study with meaningful military service.These institutions would allow young men to remain committed to serious religious scholarship while preparing for demanding combat assignments.The objective should not be to transform haredi soldiers into secular Israelis wearing uniforms. It should be to demonstrate that devotion to Torah and responsibility for the physical defense of the Jewish people are not mutually exclusive.For this arrangement to succeed, however, the religious protections cannot be cosmetic.Give Rabbinical Authorities Real Oversightharedi leaders will not endorse military integration if they believe enlistment is merely another instrument for dismantling their community’s religious identity.The state must therefore establish a formal system of rabbinical oversight for designated haredi military formations.Recognized rabbinical authorities should have meaningful responsibility for supervising religious conditions, including strict gender separation, mehadrin kosher food, and protected times for prayer and Torah study.The IDF has already established religious protections for designated haredi service tracks. The proposed oversight system would build upon those arrangements by providing a more formal and independent mechanism for ensuring compliance.This oversight must be incorporated into the military’s administrative structure without compromising the IDF’s operational chain of command.The distinction is essential. Military commanders must retain authority over military operations, while rabbinical authorities must have enforceable guarantees concerning religious observance.Without these protections, the agreement will remain politically unacceptable to much of the Haredi leadership.With them, military service could become a legitimate expression of communal responsibility rather than a perceived threat to religious survival.Turn Military Service Into Economic OpportunityThe grand bargain should also address the long-term economic consequences of haredi integration.Alongside Torah education, participating institutions should introduce practical vocational training and essential secular subjects that prepare graduates for productive employment.The military itself can provide valuable technical and professional experience, particularly in logistics, communications, transportation, and administration.Upon completing their service, haredi veterans should have access to structured job-placement programs connecting them with employers in sectors facing labor shortages.This would accomplish something far more significant than filling temporary military vacancies.It would create a pathway toward financial independence, reduce long-term dependence on government assistance, and strengthen the economic foundations of haredi families without requiring them to abandon their religious identity.Restore Victory and Soldier Safety to Military EthicsA truly historic agreement should also address a deeper issue that has troubled many Israeli combat soldiers and religious leaders for years: the ethical framework governing the use of military force.The IDF’s existing Purity of Arms doctrine has become the focus of serious criticism among those who believe its interpretation and implementation place excessive restrictions on soldiers confronting enemies who deliberately exploit civilian populations.Netanyahu should initiate a comprehensive review of this doctrine, drawing on religious-nationalist and traditional Jewish perspectives, including the alternative ethical framework advanced by Rabbi Oury Amos Cherki and former IDF deputy chief of staff Uzi Dayan.The objective should be to ensure that decisive victory, the protection of Israeli soldiers, and the defense of the Jewish people receive their proper priority in operational decision-making.This does not mean abandoning the distinction between combatants and civilians or disregarding the laws of armed conflict. It means rejecting interpretations of military ethics that unnecessarily expose Israeli soldiers to danger or undermine legitimate military objectives.Israel’s soldiers must know that their government values their lives and will not sacrifice their safety merely to satisfy international political expectations.Such a reform would address concerns extending far beyond the haredi community and could help restore confidence among religious and traditional combat soldiers who believe the existing doctrine has become disconnected from the realities of modern warfare.Require Civil Service From Arab CitizensA universal framework cannot claim to be equitable while leaving entire sectors of the population outside its obligations.As part of the grand bargain, Netanyahu should propose legislation establishing mandatory national civil service for Arab citizens who are not required to perform military service, subject to appropriate exemptions.This would require a new statutory framework defining eligibility, service obligations, and enforcement mechanisms, rather than simply extending existing military conscription rules.Civil service should concentrate on strengthening Arab communities through emergency response, healthcare, infrastructure, and other essential public functions.Such an arrangement would allow Arab citizens to contribute directly to their own municipalities and to the broader welfare of the state without requiring participation in military operations.The principle must remain consistent: citizenship carries responsibilities as well as rights.A national-service system that imposes obligations on Jewish citizens while permanently exempting Arab citizens from any comparable civic contribution cannot credibly claim to distribute the national burden fairly.Make Noncompliance Carry Real ConsequencesNo grand bargain can survive if its obligations are merely recommendations.Netanyahu should therefore introduce legislation establishing meaningful, enforceable penalties for individuals who refuse to fulfill their military or civil-service requirements without a recognized exemption.The proposed legislation should provide for the loss of specified discretionary government benefits, financial penalties, and, where constitutionally permissible and proportionate, restrictions on privileges such as passports or driving licenses.Such measures would require careful legal drafting, judicial safeguards, and compliance with Israel’s Basic Laws. They cannot simply be imposed through administrative directives.Institutions receiving government subsidies must also be held accountable for compliance with lawful recruitment and service obligations.Under the proposed framework, yeshivas and other participating institutions that systematically obstruct legally established service requirements could face reductions or withdrawal of state funding, subject to due process and applicable legal protections.The objective is not collective punishment. It is to ensure that institutions benefiting from public resources fulfill the responsibilities attached to those resources.A system without consequences will inevitably become another exercise in political deception.Netanyahu’s Opportunity for Political RealignmentFor Netanyahu, the significance of this proposal extends far beyond resolving another coalition dispute.The haredi draft crisis has become a symbol of the broader dysfunction of Israeli politics, exposing divisions between religious and secular communities while placing increasing pressure on an already overstretched military.A serious grand bargain could change that equation.By demanding meaningful service from every sector, protecting the religious integrity of haredi recruits, strengthening military readiness, and reforming the ethical framework governing combat, Netanyahu could offer the Israeli public something it has rarely received from its political leadership: a comprehensive solution rather than another temporary arrangement.The political implications could be substantial.If the present parliamentary deadlock leads to another election, such a grand bargain could offer Netanyahu an opportunity to appeal to centrist voters frustrated with coalition bargaining but still deeply committed to Israel’s security and Jewish character.There is reason to hope that some of these voters, recognizing the fairness and strategic value of such an agreement, would reconsider their opposition to Likud.Such a shift, if it materialized, could help provide the electoral foundation for a more stable conservative government, less dependent on the endless compromises that have weakened successive coalitions.But the opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.Netanyahu can continue treating the haredi draft crisis as a political problem to be postponed, or he can recognize it as an opportunity to reshape the relationship between the Israeli state, its military, and its citizens.The choice is between another bargain for political survival and a grand bargain for Israel’s future.The post Pollard: Netanyahu’s haredi draft crisis could become his greatest political opportunity appeared first on World Israel News.