Benjamin Netanyahu proposed cutting mandatory Israeli military service by six months. Male conscripts currently spend three years in Israel’s armed forces, and women two, but the Israeli finance minister said he would reduce the standard term by six months as part of the 2006 national budget. Such cuts have been proposed in the past but shot down by the Defense Ministry, which points out that it takes more than a year to train soldiers for combat duty, and that the additional time is needed for active duties.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.