Knesset passes bill to extend mandatory military service to 32 months

The Knesset has passed a bill extending mandatory military service to 32 months, with 43 MKs in favor, 12 against, and one abstention. This temporary framework will apply to those enlisting in June 2029 and discharging in January 2032, rather than the previously planned July 2024 enlistees. The explanatory notes state the extension is "urgently required, in order to meet the IDF's goals and to respond to security needs." The IDF had initially sought a 36-month extension, with Brig.-Gen. Shai Taib warning that the regular army is "reaching the edge of its capacity." Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman criticized the coalition as "hypocritical" for passing this bill while also advancing legislation that critics say encourages draft evasion.