agreed on both points, which is a shame.
The current system is maintained because certain powerful parts of society regard it a supreme value. The charaidim and arabs tolerate it, at best.
Other than Switzerland, I cannot think of a western democracy that has a draft.
I do think that arguments in the political environment have to be made in a way that speaks to the values of your opponent, not preaching to the choir.
What is good for the goose, is good for the gander. A leftist CANNOT be allowed to hide behind "democratic" principles when they favor his values, and ignore them when they are inconvenient.
I'm not so sure it's accurate to say that it's solely maintained because powerful parts of society regard it a supreme value. At the end of the day, there are people from all walks of society in the army, many of them happy to serve even in combat positions, many of them on the right and/or religious end of the political spectrum. I also think comparing to Western democracies is a bit of an oversimplification - especially Switzerland, which to my knowledge is not threatened by any internal or external entity at all. You can't ignore the geopolitical environment in which Israel resides: Hezbollah, Iran, Syria, etc., and that necessitates the certainty of a strong, prepared military. "Old-guard" interests aside, I don't think anyone or any party would be willing to be the one that signs off on a conversion to a professional military, and all the uncertainty that it could bring, since the cost of failure would be of existential proportions.
In terms of "where do we go from here:" no doubt, there is a massive lack of good faith and open communications among all players. And in light of the circumstances, and the stakes, the only reasonable resolution would be meeting in the middle, as I had mentioned. I don't think it would be unreasonable to have mandatory civil/national service for the populations unwilling to be drafted, on terms suitable to their lifestyle (i.e. separation of genders, time to fulfill religious obligations, etc.), and within their own communities (i.e. neighborhood beautification, etc.). I don't think anyone needs to be forced to comingle with the other gender, be bused to some remote area outside of their community, etc. I don't think it would lead to lifestyle destruction. I think it would go a long way and mend wounds, while showing that "we too" can do something tangible for the good of the country.