Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman declared universal conscription a prerequisite for forming a government after the next elections and unveiled a plan to establish an Israeli constitution through a team of experts and a national referendum, bypassing Knesset approval, during a pre-election conference for students at liberal pre-military preparatory programs in Haifa on Sunday.
The remarks came at the first conference of its kind for students from liberal pre-military preparatory programs, held throughout the day in Haifa.
"The choice in the elections is between conscription and draft evasion. That is the choice. We must win, because otherwise we will not have a liberal state but a state governed entirely by Jewish religious law, with all that entails," Lieberman said.
"I have been talking about conscription for everyone for many years, not just haredim. Conscription through two tracks: military service or civilian service. But the Defense Ministry will also administer the civilian track, without nonprofit organizations or middlemen. Without this, there will be no government. It is a prerequisite for forming a government. There will be no compromises on this issue," he said.
Lieberman emphasized that the obligation would apply to everyone, including the haredim (ultra-Orthodox), Arabs, Christians, and Circassians.
He attacked coalition members over demonstrations against the conscription of haredim into the IDF.
"A week ago, a group of haredi rioters, draft dodgers, and deserters marched through Jerusalem. They organized a procession in honor of the deserters, handed them NIS 1,000 in cash per day, and held up signs saying 'The IDF is the enemy army' in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Nobody in the coalition condemns this. Why? Because for them, remaining in power is more important than security."
Lieberman proposes constitution approved by referendum
"The only reform that must take place is a constitution. We cannot continue without a constitution. I oppose all these piecemeal initiatives," Lieberman declared.
"When the State of Israel was established, they announced that there would be a constitution by October 1, 1948. How much water has flowed down the Jordan River since then? A constitution would address all the problems that have emerged in recent years, rather than dealing with every issue separately. Relations between religion and state, relations between the three branches of government, all the fundamental values of Zionism - all of these would be included in the constitution."
Lieberman also outlined the practical framework he proposed.
"The Knesset is incapable of legislating a constitution. Therefore, the way forward is for the government to appoint a team of experts that will produce a draft constitution within six months, while at the same time passing a referendum law to approve the constitution. It must be approved through a referendum outside the Knesset."
Lieberman also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the governing coalition, rejecting their identification with the political Right.
"Netanyahu has nothing to do with the Right. All these stories about Ben-Gvir and Smotrich supposedly belonging to the Right, there is no connection," Lieberman said.
"The problem with this government is not Right or Left. For them, remaining in power comes before everything else. This is the most sectoral government, one that destroys and divides the country. Goldknopf cares about nothing but his own sector, and the same goes for Deri and Smotrich, while Netanyahu wants to maintain his political bloc. Security is not even a consideration here, only power."
Asked whether he would agree to sit in a government with Ra'am or its chairman, Mansour Abbas, Lieberman said: "Anyone who defines Hamas as a charitable organization rather than a terrorist organization is conveying exactly the same message as senior Hamas officials inside the Gaza Strip."
At the same time, he said: "We need to do a great deal to bring the Arab public back into being an integral part of society. We are heading toward becoming like Lebanon, a federation of minorities. That is the dismantling of the state."
Iran, Lebanon, and the question of military victory
Addressing the question of achieving a decisive victory and ending the war, Lieberman said: "In Iran, a decisive victory means only overthrowing and replacing the regime. For most countries, nuclear weapons are solely a political question for the country itself. The problem is a regime that wants nuclear weapons for the purpose of war."
Turning to Lebanon, he said: "In Lebanon, Israel should have developed a coordinated operation with the moderate tribes and moderate countries. It should have built a comprehensive plan, known how to deliver a painful opening blow to Hezbollah, and the partners would have completed everything else."
"I am not speaking theoretically, but based on good relations with many people in the region," Lieberman added.
Lieberman declined to commit in advance to the identity of the candidate he would recommend for prime minister after the elections, arguing that focusing on the question served Netanyahu's interests.
"Netanyahu does not want us discussing the question of responsibility, the collapse of governance, personal security that is in complete collapse, October 7, or the fact that we are a pariah state, isolated in the world almost like North Korea and Iran. He wants us to discuss who will be prime minister."
"In 2021, we went to elections and won without coordinating who would be prime minister. In 2022, Yair Lapid won 24 seats, and we lost. Right now, the bloc's strategy is that every party must do everything it can to maximize its electoral potential."
"After the elections, we will know how to work things out within a few hours. We will know how to put the pieces of the puzzle together, who will be prime minister, who will be defense minister, and so on. The most important thing is that we secure 63 to 64 seats. We need to ensure a solid majority."
Lieberman also addressed the students attending the liberal pre-military preparatory programs, urging them to vote and avoid wasting ballots on parties that would fail to cross the electoral threshold.