Excerpt from PM Netanyahu's Letter to Shaul Mofaz
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Following is an excerpt from the letter that Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu sent to Shaul Mofaz earlier today (Tuesday, 17 July 2012):

"I regret your decision to give up on an opportunity to make an historic
change. After 64 years, we were very close to a substantial change in the
division of the burden. I gave you a proposal that would have led to the
conscription of ultra-orthodox and Arabs from the age of 18. I explained to
you that the only way to implement this on the ground is gradually and
without tearing Israeli society apart, especially at a time when the State
of Israel is facing many significant challenges. I will continue to work
toward the responsible solution that Israeli society expects."