Yoaz Hendel Pushes for Zionist Coalition and Universal Conscription in 2026

Yoaz Hendel, leader of the reservists' party, stated in an interview with Radio North 104.5FM on Monday that his faction aims to shatter the current political deadlock and establish a coalition consisting exclusively of Zionist parties following the upcoming 2026 Knesset elections.

"I will not sit with anti-Zionist Haredi parties, nor with anti-Zionist Arab parties," Hendel said. "My mission is to unite Zionist forces so that there is universal military conscription." According to Hendel, the Israeli public is exhausted by the existing political structure and the constant cycle of elections. He emphasized that his party aims to serve as a protest vote and a viable alternative to the entrenched political blocs.

Opposition to Subsidies for Draft Evaders

"I cannot bear the fact that Yitzhak Goldknopf makes decisions about me and how I risk my life, while Aryeh Deri boasts about his draft-dodging grandchildren and they dictate where the budget goes," Hendel stated.

Hendel launched a scathing critique against government dependency on ultra-Orthodox parties, pointing to recent incidents where yeshiva heads tore up draft notices while continuing to receive millions of shekels in state funding. He pledged that his party would sever the financial pipeline between state budgets and draft evasion, while significantly increasing the salaries of active-duty soldiers.

Universal Conscription and National Service

Addressing the widening gap between those who serve and those who evade military or national service, Hendel argued that individuals who fail to perform national service should be barred from voting or running for the Knesset. While acknowledging the radical nature of this proposal, he insisted that drastic structural reforms are necessary in the wake of the ongoing war and the trauma of the October 7 massacres.