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Is it possible to unite Israel while still pursuing the major reforms the country needs?

Yashar’s Shaul Meridor joins Eylon Levy ahead of the Israeli election. He chooses to discuss the economy, rebuilding Israel’s north and national service for all; Eylon adds the welfare state.

Meridor proposes shifting public spending from those who dodge the military draft to those who serve their nation, reducing draft exemptions to only 3% of each new cohort.

He outlines Yashar’s extra ₪15 billion over five years for the north, and backs more import competition and lower farm tariffs alongside subsidies. He rejects the idea that Israel can be economically self-sufficient; Eylon challenges whether Yashar has a plan to future proof the Israeli economy against possible sanctions.

Israel Electioncast is for English-speaking Israelis and international viewers seeking to understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections.

Yashar Policy Plans: https://yasharwitheisenkot.com/principles/economics-en/

Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncast

Join my subscriber-only webinar on 26 October: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast

Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcastCan Amcha Yisrael end the war by helping Gazans leave—and who will take them?Fleur Hassan-Nahoum of Amcha Yisrael joins Eylon Levy to discuss the Israeli election. She chooses total victory, national service and public diplomacy; Eylon adds foreign relations.Fleur defends facilitating voluntary emigration from Gaza and says she thinks departure should be permanent. Eylon presses her on host countries and civilians who stay; she says they must be separated from combatants. She backs deep buffer zones and annexing the Jordan Valley.On service, she defends exemptions for serious Torah students and economic penalties for others who refuse to serve, including losing childcare subsidies and property-tax discounts. Eylon challenges the undefined exemption criteria. She argues for a Hasbara Ministry; he asks why another ministry is needed—and how tougher policies can retain allied support.Israel Electioncast explores Israel’s first election after the October 7 massacre, for English-speaking Israelis and international viewers seeking to understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections.Amcha Yisrael’s Policy Plans: https://amchayisrael.com/foundations Explore the series: https://www.eylonalevy.com/electioncastJoin my subscriber-only webinar on 26 October: https://patreon.com/eylonpodcast

Support the podcast and join a subscriber-only Q&A webinar:👉 [Subscribe on Patreon for $10/month]

Should Torah study exempt Haredi men from the IDF, and why should secular women serve while Haredi women do not?

Dr. Nechumi Yaffe of Haredi Public joins Eylon Levy for a tense episode of the Israel Electioncast. She chose education, the military draft and beating poverty; Eylon chose religion and state.Yaffe backs reducing state funding for Haredi schools that teach only religious subjects, while expanding state Haredi schools. But on the draft, sharp disagreements emerge. She defends exemptions for serious Torah scholars and Haredi-only units for those who serve, while placing Haredi women’s enlistment outside the party’s agenda. Eylon challenges her on why secular women must serve while Haredi women do not, prompting a heated exchange over equality and who should bear the burden.

They also clash over welfare and public-transport subsidies, as Yaffe argues that education, training and employment offer a route out of poverty. On religion and state, she says the party has not developed a policy and does not want to be coercive.

The Israel Electioncast takes English-speaking Israelis and international viewers inside the arguments shaping Israel’s future ahead of the critical 27 October elections. The Israel Electioncast is for English-speaking Israelis and international viewers who want to understand what Israelis are really arguing about before the critical 27 October elections.

Haredi Public Policy Plans

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