Member of Knesset Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) revealed on Sunday that he has written to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, asking to enlist for active service under the Shlav Bet (“Stage B”) track during the summer parliamentary recess.
The recess begins on July 27 and ends with the opening of the Knesset winter session on Oct. 19.
(Shlav Bet is a recruitment track intended for Haredim over the age of 26 seeking to perform military service. Recruits undergo two–three weeks of basic training and then are integrated into reserve units, according to the soldier’s occupation and civilian training, in fields such as mental health, population training for emergencies, driving, warehousing, mechanics and advanced technological units.)
In his letter, Sukkot, 34, describes military service as both a right and a duty, particularly in view of ongoing security tensions, and stresses that his request is motivated by a strong sense of mission.
פניתי לרמטכ"ל בבקשה לאפשר לי להתגייס לצה"ל במהלך פגרת הקיץ של הכנסת.
— צבי סוכות (@tzvisuccot) July 20, 2025
בעבר פניתי מספר פעמים וסורבתי על ידי הצבא.
כולי תקווה כי הפעם צה"ל יאשר לי להתגייס ולהעביר בכך מסר לאנשים נוספים שלא זכו ליטול חלק במצווה הגדולה של שירות בצה"ל pic.twitter.com/mnfxtVYjUh
Sukkot explains in the letter that he was previously exempted from service due to his ideological opposition to the evacuation of Gush Katif in 2005. He notes that many earlier attempts to enlist were denied or went unanswered. Now, with parliamentary duties paused, he seeks to finally fulfill this longstanding aspiration.
“During the Knesset summer recess, some people decide to travel abroad or be with their family—I want to volunteer in the IDF,” Sukkot told JNS on Sunday.
“This is an existential war. The people of Israel are fighting for their lives. There are soldiers on their fifth round of reserve duty. There is a need for more to participate in defending our country, and I want to be one of them,” he added.
Highlighting the current debates over equal service in Israeli society, Sukkot asserts that permitting his enlistment would send a significant public message at a critical time.
The IDF is expected to review his request in the coming days.
“I am hopeful that this time the IDF will approve my enlistment, thereby sending a message to others who have not had the privilege of taking part in the great mitzvah of serving in the IDF,” Sukkot wrote on X.
