DAY 388 OF THE WAR: Fall Knesset Session Opens, Vote on Draft Law Delayed, Soldier Succumbs to Wounds From Gaza, Laser Defense Deployment Moves Closer

Tel Aviv Diary, October 28, 2024

It was overly optimistic to hope the day would pass without disturbing news. By recent Israeli standards, it had been a good, relatively calm day. There were a smaller number of rocket attacks, with no announced casualties. However, the relative tranquility ended around 10 PM when it was announced that Major Guy Yaacov Nezri (25), from Atlit, had succumbed to wounds he sustained last week in Gaza.

OPENING OF THE KNESSET’S FALL SESSION

Today, the Knesset opened its fall session, with one major issue looming over the government and lawmakers: “the draft law”—or more accurately, “the draft exemption law”. The ultra-Orthodox parties had previously threatened to withhold their support for the new budget unless the law passed. However, their bluff was called today, primarily due to the firm stance taken by the religious Zionist members.

Religious Zionists are shouldering a disproportionately heavy burden in this conflict. They are not only doing more reserve duty—many even volunteering beyond the required age and dying in numbers that exceed their proportion of the population—but they also occupy a greater share of leadership positions in the military. This trend began after the Gaza withdrawal in 2005, when many religious Zionists opted for shorter service terms in the Army, typically in infantry roles. (Note: more “sought after” roles in the IAF, Navy, and IDF intelligence often require an initial commitment of more years of service).

As Ehud Barak remarked in an interview yesterday, when he was a young soldier, kibbutz members who made up only 5% of the population, constituted 50% of elite units. Today, it is the religious Zionists and their families—many residing in the West Bank—who are bear a substantial portion of the military burden in the conflict. Their growing resentment toward the ultra-Orthodox, who avoid army service, has deepen into an unbridgeable divide.

In light of this profound rift, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivered an impassioned speech today, addressing the burden of service and his numerous shiva visits to mourn with bereaved families in recent days. In his remarks, Smotrich essentially told ultra-Orthodox Knesset members that they could not leverage budget approval to secure exemptions from military service for their constituents.

As a result, the ultra-Orthodox parties backed down from their demand to pass the draft law. Now, their focus has shifted toward enacting legislation to fund daycare for their children, a provision previously prohibited by the Supreme Court unless they participated in military service. Although the ultra-Orthodox parties' temporary retreat from the draft law means the government will not collapse over this issue, it still leaves a critical question unresolved: How will Israel recruit more soldiers?

Of the three thousand draft notices sent to ultra-Orthodox youth this past June, only 100 have reported to draft offices. It remains to be seen whether the government will impose sanctions on those who fail to comply. This vital question remains unanswered. The roots of this problem trace back long before an insightful 2007 article by Nehemia Shtraser titled Five Minutes Before the Explosion. In the essay, Shtraser wrote:

Ben-Gurion agreed to the establishment of the national religious educational stream, and he succumbed to the rabbis' pressure to allow 400 ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students not to serve in the IDF. This is threatening our very existence.

Where do we go from here? I do not know.

KNESSET SESSION’S OPENING ADDRESSES

When the Knesset session actually opened it was led by a speech by President Herzog. It was a stronger speech than we have heard from Herzog recently. Herzog began by addressing Israel’s enemies, stating unequivocally that they “have worked hard to inflame internal conflict” within the country. Herzog specifically highlighted the role of Iran and its proxies, warning that they “place at the heart of their campaign against Israel the destruction of Israeli trust.” President Herzog emphasized that understanding the enemy’s strategy is essential, saying that their ultimate aim is “to challenge the enduring spirit of Israel and the Jewish people and to destroy the State of Israel and Israeli society through external and internal attacks.”

Herzog went on to underline the grave danger of eroded trust within Israeli society itself. “When that trust erodes, when the foundations are shaken, the nation is at risk,” he warned. He appealed directly to the lawmakers in attendance, reminding them that it is their responsibility “to restore and rebuild that trust.” Herzog urged them to see his words as “a wake-up call to Israeli leadership and all of society.”

In a direct plea to reduce tensions, Herzog insisted that “restoring trust cannot happen if the tone and hostility here are not moderated.” He called for an end to “reckless, inflammatory, hateful statements — whether in public spaces or within these walls,” which, he argued, undermine the nation’s unity.

President Herzog also touched on the current humanitarian crisis facing Israeli hostages held by enemy forces. He urged lawmakers to focus on this urgent issue, noting that Israel has a “unique window of opportunity” to bring the hostages home and emphasized that they “must make every effort and use every tool to bring everyone back as swiftly as possible.” He stressed that failing in this mission would “leave us with an open wound that will scar our society and nation for generations.”

Turning to the broader question of national defense, Herzog called “to expand the circle of shared responsibility, an immense privilege — to defend our shared home.” He also insisted on the need for accountability regarding recent national security failures, urging legislators “to initiate a deep, wide-ranging investigation into the October 7 failure and disaster, reliably, rigorously, and independently, to derive lessons, take responsibility, and build trust between citizens and the state.”

For this investigation, Herzog once again advocated for “an inquiry through a national investigative commission with a professional and diverse composition that commands broad public trust.” He stressed the importance of transparency and integrity in order to heal the rift between citizens and the state.

Finally, Herzog addressed the issue of Israeli citizens displaced from their homes due to recent conflicts. He identified “the return of Israelis who were displaced from their homes — in security and peace” as a crucial step toward national recovery. Herzog also encouraged dialogue and consensus among Israeli leaders, urging them “to sit down, talk, and make every effort to avoid unilateral moves.”

After President Herzog concluded his address, Prime Minister Netanyahu took the podium. Netanyahu primarily highlighted the accomplishments of the IDF and did not introduce any newsworthy developments. He responded to critics who accused him of lacking a strategy, outlining his approach to weaken and dismantle the network of Islamic fundamentalist extremists encircling Israel. Unfortunately, that is a goal, and not a strategy.

HOSTAGES

Head of the Mossad David Barnea returned from Qatar tonight, bringing news of a new plan that merged together a number of previous plans. Hamas is said to be examining this proposal, which reportedly includes elements of the Egyptian plan, starting with the small-scale initial release of four hostages. There is very cautious optimism that progress could finally occur.

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD

Once again, the Israeli government has ignored the old adage that “being smart is better than being right.” In its first order of business today, the Knesset passed a populist bill that outlaws the operations of UNRWA within Israel. The elimination of UNRWA is a worthwhile goal. The agency should arguably never have been allowed to operate all these years, as it recognizes Palestinians as perpetual refugees—regardless of how many generations have passed—a status accorded to no other refugees in the history of the world. Additionally, the driving factor behind this law was the number of UNRWA employees in Gaza who are also active members of Hamas, some of whom took part in the October 7 massacre.

The bill outlawing UNRWA received broad support from both coalition and opposition members, however, it faced strong opposition from the U.S. and all of our European allies. While they did not directly defend UNRWA, they argued that Israel should have had a replacement plan in place if it intended to ban the agency. In the West Bank, UNRWA operates 90 schools. UNRWA runs nearly all the educational institutions in Gaza, in addition to being the largest relief distribution organization there with no clear replacement on the horizon. Yet, in the haste to outlaw UNRWA, the potential consequences and the necessity for a replacement plan appear to have been neglected.

LEBANON

Israeli troops continue to operate in the villages in southern Lebanon. Today, the Air Force destroyed a series of buildings in the city of Tyre, after issuing warnings to residents to evacuate. According to the IDF, these buildings were being used by Hezbollah to store weapons. Similar to the situation in Gaza, our challenge remains to devise a plan to bring the military operations in Lebanon to an end. Historically, we have found ourselves entrenched in Lebanon without a viable exit strategy.

It is worth noting that today saw a reduced number of rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israel, with almost all occurring close to the border. Additionally, two drones that were launched were successfully intercepted. The Army showcased the efforts it has been undertaking for the past month in Kfar Kila, directly opposite from the Israeli town of Metulla. This display highlighted the extent of the work yet to be done.

Here is the IDF Spokesman’s statement regarding the Army’s operation in Kafr Kila:

In the past year, the IDF has operated in the area of the village of Kafr Kila as part of several special operations, during which IDF forces conducted reconnaissance and exposure missions targeting underground infrastructure, weapons depots, observation posts, and terror infrastructure located throughout and within the heart of the village. Kfar Kila is one of the central hubs of Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.

In focused ground operations in recent weeks, the 769th Brigade, under the command of the 91st Division, expanded its activities into the Kfar Kila area. The forces’ operations in the area are disrupting the numerous terror infrastructures embedded within the village, thereby nullifying Hezbollah’s ability to launch a ground offensive from this area as part of its plan for the “conquest of the Galilee.”

So far, the operations have identified and destroyed dozens of underground infrastructures, hundreds of Hezbollah military buildings, thousands of weapons, enemy intelligence documents, launchers, and tactical equipment belonging to Hezbollah’s ‘Radwan Force’ unit.

The IDF’s operations in Kfar Kila are dismantling the terror infrastructures that Hezbollah has entrenched there over the years.

UPDATE ON LASER DEFENSE

Today marked a significant milestone in the advancement of Israel's laser defense capabilities. A contract was issued—not for R&D, but for large-scale production of lasers. Rafael and Elbit, the primary recipients, announced that they have been awarded a $200 million contract. Elbit Optics will supply the optical systems for the lasers. The following information was disclosed in an announcement by the Ministry of Defense

:

Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir:

Since the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of Defense has signed hundreds of orders worth tens of billions of shekels to strengthen Israel’s domestic production capabilities (‘Blue and White’) and to build the power of the IDF. Our main objective is to reduce dependency on external sources and strengthen Israeli industry. The ‘Light Shield’ deal is one of the most important agreements we’ve