Lieberman warns of the end of Zionism

Pars Today – A senior Israeli official warned on Friday that Zionism could come to an end if the issue of military draft evasion is not addressed.

According to Pars Today, while Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, gives in to the demands of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties to exempt Haredi youth from military service out of fear that his cabinet might collapse, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, warned: “We must put an end to draft evasion; otherwise, Zionism will come to an end.”

Lieberman had previously stated that “on the one hand, we will not allow hundreds of thousands of reservists to be repeatedly mobilized, while on the other hand, Netanyahu’s cabinet promotes the mass draft-dodging of the Haredim.”

In this context, the Israeli prime minister—who relies on the Haredim for his political survival—recently dismissed the head of the Knesset’s foreign affairs and defense committee, who had insisted on the conscription of Haredi youth.

Recently, the U.S.-based outlet Media Line reported on the rising rate of suicides among Israeli soldiers. Introducing the report with the question, “Is the Israeli army collapsing from within?” it noted that suicide has become the main threat facing Israeli soldiers after the end of the Gaza war.

New statistics show that since the start of the Gaza war, more than 50 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives due to suicide. These figures include 17 cases in 2023 and 21 cases in 2024. In addition, Hebrew media have reported that in the first half of 2025, at least 18 suicides among Israeli soldiers were recorded—double the number compared to the same period in 2024.

These figures indicate that the trend of suicides among Israeli soldiers has not only risen with the outbreak of the Gaza war but also suggests that with the war’s end, a “suicide tsunami” among Israeli soldiers may occur.

The Hebrew-language daily Israel Hayom wrote that following disagreements between Yuli Edelstein, Chairman of the Knesset’s foreign affairs and defense committee, and the cabinet—due to Edelstein’s insistence on passing the law for Haredi military conscription—the Knesset committee approved his dismissal.

In response, Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, said: “It is shameful that Edelstein was dismissed for political reasons.”

At the same time, Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democratic Union party, stated that Edelstein’s removal from the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was aimed at protecting the mass draft-dodging of the Haredim.

Avigdor Lieberman also declared afterward that Netanyahu’s cabinet cares about draft evaders and abandons those who actually serve in the army, adding: “This cabinet must be overthrown.”

MG