Ultra-Orthodox populations must join not just the military but the workforce if Israel wants to have a sustainable economic future, Liberman said at the Ogen Conference.

Israel’s current economic and social trajectory is unsustainable without more integration into the workforce, MK Avigdor Liberman said at the Ogen Conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

He stressed that while equality in Israel requires a universal military draft, it will also require greater participation and contribution from the ultra-Orthodox population to the economy.

Liberman emphasized that a universal draft must be the first step towards creating a sustainable future.

Necessary changes in the workforce

“The first necessary correction is a universal draft law. Without it, we cannot move forward,” he said; however, from there, he emphasized that changes were needed in the workforce.

“Equality in sharing the burden goes far beyond military service,” Liberman said. “Only 53% of ultra-Orthodox men participate in the labor market, and a third of them work within the ultra-Orthodox education system. “Their productivity and income are significantly lower than the Israeli average.”

Contributing to the current negative economic trajectory is the scale of state support to the ultra-Orthodox sector, according to Liberman.

“Annual subsidies to the ultra-Orthodox sector have reached 36 billion shekels. This is simply unsustainable,” he said.

In northern Israel, Liberman said political slogans have hindered efforts to address the real issues in the area.

“Anyone who looks at the data, not the politics, sees a bleak and deeply troubling picture in Kiryat Shmona,” he said. “This is abandonment, and it may even be deliberate abandonment.”

Instead of messaging and political slogans, Liberman urged politicians to focus on measurable indications of improvements.

“Look at how many residents returned, how many businesses reopened, and what their turnover is. The reality speaks for itself,” Lieberman said.