The Israeli Knesset voted 43–12 early Friday to extend mandatory military service to 32 months for conscripts due to be discharged from January 2032, reversing a planned reduction to 30 months. The measure, framed by the government as an urgent response to the IDF’s manpower needs after nearly three years of multi-front warfare, passed alongside a package of bills that critics across the political spectrum describe as reshaping the state’s democratic and social contract. The legislative rush concluded hours before the 25th Knesset dissolved itself ahead of elections scheduled for 27 October, the first full-term parliament since 1988.

Viewed from within the security establishment, the extension falls short of operational requirements. The head of the IDF’s Planning and Personnel Administration Division, Brigadier-General Shai Taib, told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that 32 months would not suffice and that the standing army was “reaching the edge of its capacity,” with some reserve units at risk of collapse. The military had pressed for a 36-month term. The same week, the coalition advanced a Basic Law: Torah Study bill to enshrine yeshiva study as a fundamental value, and a separate law temporarily freezing the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders—a freeze the High Court of Justice suspended within a day. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman accused the coalition of “hypocrisy” for extending service for combat soldiers while shielding those who do not enlist.

From the perspective of legal and media watchdogs in Israel, the legislative blitz also weakened institutional checks on executive power. A bill passed 65–51 allows the government to disregard the attorney-general’s legal opinions, which were previously binding unless overturned by a court. Another, approved 53–48, grants the communications minister substantial control over broadcasting, a move opponents say will benefit pro-government outlets. The Haaretz editorial board, reflecting a segment of liberal Israeli opinion, termed the outgoing Knesset “the most harmful in the state’s history” and described the final laws as steps toward a “dictatorial halachic state.” Meanwhile, the government approved a reform creating a new authority to handle the surge in wounded and traumatised soldiers—over 50,000 cases since October 2023, with emotional trauma now accounting for half of all claims—though the Finance Ministry initially resisted new funding.

In a separate diplomatic track, President Isaac Herzog reiterated his aspiration for normalisation with Saudi Arabia, telling state media he held “great respect” for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi officials have repeatedly conditioned recognition on a path to a Palestinian state, which the current Israeli government opposes. The election campaign now formally begins, with party primaries scheduled through August and final lists due by 9 September. The High Court’s review of the draft-evader arrest freeze and the broader constitutional challenges to the new laws are expected to unfold in parallel, ensuring that the legal and political battles over military service and state powers will dominate the months ahead.