The Reservists (political party)
The Reservists המילואימניקים HaMiluimnikim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Yoaz Hendel |
| Founder | Yoaz Hendel |
| Founded | 18 September 2025 |
| Preceded by | Derekh Eretz |
| Ideology |
|
| Political position | Centre-right[2] |
| Colours | |
| Knesset | 0 / 120
|
| Website | |
| www | |
The Reservists (Hebrew: המילואימניקים, romanized: HaMiluimnikim) is an Israeli political party founded in 2025 by Yoaz Hendel, IDF Reserve Battalion Commander and former Israeli Minister of Communications. The party is set to contest the 2026 election, which is scheduled to be held by 27 October 2026.
Background
[edit]Yoaz Hendel, an IDF reserves battalion commander, was originally affiliated with Likud. He first entered the Knesset in April 2019 with Benny Gantz's Blue and White party. He served as Ministry of Communications during the Netanyahu–Gantz government in 2020, and again during the Bennett–Lapid government from 2021 to 2022. He was in a number of factions during this period and considered running with Ayelet Shaked in the 2022 election before dropping out. Outside of politics, he started a movement also called The Reservists to promote universal enlistment, and stronger penalties for draft evasion.[1]
He began the signature collection process in June 2025 to form a new party,[3] which was officially launched in September 2025, and confirmed they would be contesting the 2026 election. The party consists of "reservists, families of reservists, wounded IDF soldiers, bereaved families and civilian volunteers", and does not rule out working with anyone, including Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gvir, or Mansour Abbas. The party's platform calls for a Zionist government and a committee of inquiry to investigate the October 7 attacks, as well as some judicial reform that has a "broad consensus".[1]
A major issue for the party is conscription for all citizens, including Haredi and Arabs currently exempt from service, and would condition the right to vote on some form of national service.[1] Despite 80,000 Haredi men being of draft age, less than 3,000 have enlisted, which has caused manpower issues for the IDF. The Supreme Court ruled they must be drafted, but the Haredi parties have continually blocked reform, which Hendel wants to bypass by offering an alternative support base for a government. He also noted the demographic imbalance is unsustainable, with 30% of the population projected to be Haredi by 2065.[4]
Hendel sees the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a "clash of civilizations", seeing peace as unlikely without change that will take generations. He criticized the idea of using investment and engagement to win hearts and minds as like a John Lennon song, which is a mistake that led to the October 7 attacks "with people coming to slaughter us and our kids".[4]
Other party co-founders and leaders include: lawyer and Reservist's wives forum leader Shvut Raanan, Major (Res.) Yoav Adomi, Captain (Res.) Yisrael ben-Shitrit, Mechina head Hadas Crissi, Lt. Colonel (Res.) Yonatan Bahat, Lt. Colonel (Res.) Erez ben-Ezra and other leading reservist interests activists.[5] The party is advised by Aron Shaviv, who previously worked for Netanyahu during the 2015 election, and for David Cameron during the United Kingdom election a few months later.[4]
Policies
[edit]The party's main policy proposal is a plan to mandate conscription for every Israeli citizen (including Arab Israelis and the Ultraorthodox which are currently exempt) and impose major sanctions against anyone who does not enlist. The plan is based on four key principles:[6][7] full national service for every Israeli citizen - secular and religious, Jewish or Arab, legally equating evasion of military or alternative civil/national service to desertion, creating a service environment that respects the faith and lifestyles of all those serving, creating armed yeshivas along Israel's borders and a national service track that includes living and studying in those.
The party supports imposing harsh sanctions against those that evade military or national service, including revocation of the right to vote or to be elected, cancellation of tax deductions, denial of welfare benefits, revocation of driver's license and prohibition on leaving the country.
Concurrently, the party supports encouraging service by increasing benefits for veterans and reservists such as increasing tax credits and deductions, priority for reservists in recruitment for civil service jobs and for senior positions, priority for reservist businesses in state contracts, financial compensation for employers of reservists, housing and childcare benefits.[6]
The movement is aimed at promoting universal military conscription (ending the Haredi draft exemption) and imposing harsh penalties for draft evasion. The party also announced its opposition to the 2023 Israeli judicial reform, initiated by the Netanyahu government, saying that some reform is necessary, but it cannot be imposed on the country and must be done by broad consensus.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Sokol, Sam (18 September 2025). "Yoaz Hendel forms new 'Reservists' party". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ Neev, Keshet (22 September 2025). "Reservists Party principles: Zionist gov't, draft for everyone, Oct. 7 inquiry - interview". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ Breuer, Eliav (10 June 2025). "Yoaz Hendel's reservist group begins proceedings to form new party". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Nuki, Paul (31 August 2025). "Serve in IDF or lose vote, Netanyahu rival tells ultra-orthodox Jews". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ Azulai, Moran (18 September 2025). "צבע זית בלוגו, רשימת עקרונות לממשלה: הנדל רשם את מפלגת "המילואימניקים"". ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b "מתווה גיוס המילואימניקים". המילואימניקים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ Shlezinger, Yehuda (28 October 2024). "תנועת המילואימניקים יוצאת במתווה גיוס חדש: מי שלא יתגייס לא יוכל להיבחר או לבחור לכנסת". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 September 2025.