Netanyahu credits conscription for better innovation in Israel

The Israeli Prime Minister says the Army acquires an enormous amount of experience and knowledge and can start their own business.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday credited conscription for his country’s ability to innovate, saying compulsory military service provided “real education” to people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the India-Israel Business Summit in Mumbai on Thursday.(PTI Photo)

“You may think our genius is the result of our education system possibly. I don’t think it is (the) best. But our real educational system is in the Army,” Netanyahu said, addressing the India-Israel Business Summit here.

“We bring in a whole chunk of our population into the Army, we give them tests and we then allow them to rush into these technological schools by the time they are out of the Army at the age of 21 or 22,” he said.

They acquire an enormous amount of experience and knowledge and can start their own business, Netanyahu said.

“This talent has been existing in Israel for long, but we could not get anywhere. Why couldn’t we get anywhere? We were limited by bureaucracy,” the Israeli leader said.