Draft campaigners slam draft policy
After years of debate, pressure and protest, on Sunday Israel’s cabinet approved legislation to draft ultra-Orthodox men for national service.
However, the lobby that has been calling for the “sharing of the burden” dismissed the legislation as a stab in the back for their cause, saying that it will actually be counterproductive.
They say that they wanted a law that makes service for Charedim compulsory immediately, while the actual legislation defers compulsion to serve until 2017.
It actually moves towards more leniency towards Charedim in the interim. Until now, they have been discouraged from seeking exemptions by being barred from working for several years if they do. But until 2017 most will be able to secure exemptions and enter the
workforce.
The government claims that the concessions are justified, as the draft must happen gradually to prove successful.
“We will enact this change gradually while considering the special needs of the ultra-Orthodox population,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He added: “Our objective is twofold: integrating young ultra-Orthodox into military and national service, and no less important, integrating them into the labour market.”
Finance Minister Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party owes its electoral success in January’s election to its heavy campaigning on the draft issue, was jubilant.
“Three-and-a-half months since the establishment of this government we are passing a historic change,” Lapid said.
“This is something big for all of us.”
But the Israeli Forum for Citizen Equal Rights and Obligations, one of the most vocal pro-draft groups, said that Lapid had disseminated “spin” which was a “blow” to their cause.
Uri Regev, president of another pro-draft group, Hiddush, told The AJN that he considers the legislation “possibly one of the worst options that was possible to choose”.
He likened it to a bill “written on ice” because it defers the challenge of drafting Charedim for four years, which means that in all likelihood it will only return to the government agenda after the next general election. “This government is handing on the hot potato to the next government, which is a typical Israeli cop-out,” he said.
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