Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. March 25, 2025. (photo credit: via walla!)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Zamir sent the letter after attacks on the government for failing to push for haredim to draft into the IDF in large numbers.<\/p>\n
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday took the remarkable act of publishing IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir’s private letter to him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that he needs more soldiers lest the IDF lack a sufficient volume for readiness to defend the country by some later point in 2026.<\/p>\n
He took this measure after attacks on the government for failing to push for haredim to draft<\/a> into the IDF in large numbers.<\/p>\n Katz then characterized the letter and Zamir as concerned only with the Knesset’s failure to pass a law extending mandatory military service from 30 months to 36 months, but not with the haredim draft issue.<\/p>\n “The longer military service is not extended, the more damage to the army’s competence and quality of training will be done,” the letter warned, noting that the existing shortage “could lead to the loss of operational capability as early as the coming year.”<\/p>\n In contrast, The Jerusalem Post<\/em> understands that Zamir<\/a> has been at least as concerned about increasing haredi participation in the IDF as he has about extending mandatory service times, and confirmed this with IDF sources on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n