Yashar! will enact a National Service for All Law, bringing about the historic integration of Haredi and Arab Israelis into national service frameworks.
The plan will address Israel’s urgent security needs while fulfilling a fundamental moral and civic principle: every part of Israeli society must take part in serving the country.
We will expand the ranks of the IDF, strengthen its role as the People’s Army, and ensure its ability to fulfill its fundamental mission: defending the State of Israel, guaranteeing its existence and winning its wars.
Alongside military service, we will establish meaningful civilian-national service and create a new contract between Israeli citizens and the state.
Every Citizen Has a Duty to Serve
Every Israeli citizen — men and women alike — will be required to serve.
Service in the IDF will take priority. Those not selected for military service will be required to perform meaningful civilian-national service, based on the needs of the country.
The principle is simple:
Everyone serves. Everyone contributes.
The IDF Comes First
The IDF will select those required for mandatory military service according to its operational and personnel needs, while making appropriate accommodations for their way of life.
Those who are not selected to serve in the IDF will be required to serve through an approved civilian-national service track.
Israel’s security needs will determine the number of people required for military service.
Service Will Be Directly Managed by the State
National service must be a relationship between the citizen and the state — not between the citizen and a political party, sectoral organization or community intermediary.
We will establish an independent National Service Authority, which alone will have the legal authority to engage with all candidates for service.
No sectoral, communal or political body will control the process.
Every Young Israeli Will Pass Through the National Service Authority
Under the new law, the National Service Authority will summon all young Israelis for screening and placement.
The Authority will allocate to the IDF the portion of each cohort designated for military service. Those who are not selected for the IDF will be directed toward appropriate civilian-national service tracks.
The Authority will be responsible for ensuring that the entire process is:
Transparent. Efficient. Equal. Fair.
Israel Will Recognize, Reward and Prioritize Those Who Serve
National service should not place young Israelis at a disadvantage as they begin their adult lives.
It should give them a stronger starting point.
We will rebuild Israel’s system of civilian recognition and benefits so that those who serve in the IDF — with combat soldiers receiving the highest priority — receive preferential access to benefits and opportunities.
These will include:
- Housing benefits
- Tax credits
- Improved compensation during service
- Scholarships from the Council for Higher Education and Ministry of Labor
- Municipal tax discounts
- Higher-education programs such as Mimadim LeLimudim
- Government grants
- Preferential status in eligibility tests for government programs
- Daycare subsidies
- National Insurance benefits
- Public-transportation discounts
- After-school childcare subsidies
Government benefits should no longer be distributed according to sectoral or political considerations.
They should reflect a basic Zionist principle:
Those who serve should be rewarded.
A Clear Hierarchy of Benefits
We will establish a graduated system of civilian and economic benefits designed to compensate those who serve and improve their starting point in adult life.
Their contribution to the country — and fulfillment of their civic responsibility — should become a meaningful springboard for their future.
The hierarchy of benefits will be:
1. Graduates of combat military service
2. Graduates of military service
3. Graduates of civilian-national service
Active reservists will be eligible for an additional tier of benefits specifically recognizing continued reserve service.
Advancing Haredi Military Service — with Full Transparency
The National Service Authority will actively promote the recruitment of Haredi Israelis into the IDF.
It will allocate resources, support service organizations and create a centralized information system providing continuously updated data on recruitment and service.
The Authority will have the legal authority to consolidate information from all relevant bodies.
This will enable the public and policymakers to know whether the law is actually being implemented and whether national recruitment targets are being met.
Excellence in Sports, Science, the Arts and Humanities
Every recruitment cohort will include a defined allocation allowing individuals demonstrating exceptional achievement to defer service for one year.
This will apply to outstanding young Israelis in:
- Sports
- Science
- The arts
- The humanities
The size of the allocation will be determined by the National Service Authority in coordination with the IDF.
Eligibility will be based on strict, external and transparent criteria demonstrating exceptional achievement that contributes to the State of Israel.
Torah Study
Every annual cohort will include an allocation of up to 3% for a one-year service deferment for Torah study.
The precise percentage will be determined according to the needs of Israel’s defense establishment.
Selection will take place through an open process based on external and equal criteria.
All individuals receiving this deferment will undergo formal enlistment and basic military training.
All deferment tracks will be subject to full supervision by the National Service Authority.
Deferments will be renewed annually and only for individuals who continue to meet the required criteria.
Failure to report, or providing false information, will result in the immediate cancellation of the annual deferment and may lead to criminal proceedings.
Benefits Will Be Tied to Service
Individuals who received a lawful exemption after a service deferment will not be eligible for the civilian benefits specifically designated for those who served under the new benefits framework.
Young Israelis who are not legally exempt and fail to fulfill their service obligation — including draft evaders and deserters — will face both the loss of civilian and economic benefits and criminal consequences under the law.
Benefits and rights that may be restricted include:
- Participation in government tenders
- Higher-education and Ministry of Labor scholarships
- Municipal tax discounts
- Preferential eligibility for government housing programs
- Certain National Insurance benefits
- Transportation benefits
- Benefits for parents
- Housing loans and rental assistance
- Vocational-training vouchers
- Ministry of Economy assistance for businesses
- Eligibility for long-term rental programs
- Certain government land allocations
- Certain real-estate tax exemptions
- Tax exemptions on scholarships for students and researchers
- Government support for Torah institutions
- Assistance under Israel’s Economic Assistance Law
- Driving-license privileges
- The right to leave the country
The objective is to create a clear relationship between civic responsibility and the benefits provided by the state.
Enforcement Under the Law
National service will be a legal obligation.
Those who are required to serve, are not legally exempt and refuse to fulfill that obligation will be subject to criminal proceedings in accordance with the law.
The new system will therefore combine three elements:
Universal responsibility. Meaningful incentives for service. Effective enforcement for those who evade it.
A New Contract Between Citizens and the State
For too long, the question of national service has divided Israeli society.
Yashar! proposes a new framework based on a straightforward principle:
Every citizen has a responsibility to contribute to the country.
The IDF will receive the personnel it needs to protect Israel.
Those not required by the IDF will serve the country through meaningful civilian-national service.
The state will recognize and reward those who fulfill their responsibility.
And the same rules will apply across Israeli society.
The purpose is not only to meet Israel’s immediate security needs. It is to strengthen the idea that Israel is one society, with shared responsibilities and a shared future.
The IDF comes first.
Everyone serves.
Those who serve are rewarded.
One country — one shared responsibility.
