New government coalition agreement will grant close to 50,000 exemptions for yeshiva students from the Israeli army

New coalition agreement plan will grant almost 50,000 additional exemptions for yeshiva students from serving in the army. The IDF enlists 46,000 jewish males each year. Where is the equality here?

21/03/2013 14:19

Tags: government coalition · sharing the burden · ultra-Orthodox enlistment · Yesh Atid · Yair Lapid

Thousands of demonstrators from the orthodox extremist group ''haeda haharedit'', protested against the intention to draft yeshiva students to the army by chaining their kids to each other using handcuffs

Hiddush analyzed data made available over the course of recent Supreme Court proceedings and the details of the new government coalition's plan for equality in sharing the civic burden. Hiddush concluded, according to the coalition agreement, that 48,000 additional yeshiva students will receive full exemptions from army service. 26,000 will receive exemptions immediately and another 22,000 will receive exemptions over the next four years. To put these numbers into the proper context, the Israeli army annually drafts approximately 46,000 18 year-old Jewish males. The government coalition's plan decided that compulsory service for yeshiva students will only be implemented in the next four years (at the end of this government's term, assuming it will complete a full term). Until then, national service will not be mandatory for these students.

The exemption that the yeshiva students are supposed to receive, according to the coalition agreement, will begin, "on August 1, 2013, and through a four-year transition period. Yeshiva students who have not been drafted and students aged 22 who have not received an exemption from military service will be able to serve. The students who choose not to enlist will receive an immediate exemption." This enlistment plan was a compromise for Yair Lapid's "Yesh Atid" party. In the party's original plan, Yesh Atid proposed that in the next five years, yeshiva students aged 18 and up will receive a full exemption from military service. The party's platform reads: "In the first stage, yeshiva students in Israel who are 18 years old that do not enlist in the IDF will be given a draft exemption and will be able to begin working immediately."

At this stage, the coalition agreement only increases the tension between one another, it does not reduce it.

The sweeping exemptions for yeshiva students aged 22 and above contradicts a different section of the coalition plan. The plan sets out an incrementally growing draft goal, reaching 3,600 students in 2016. Most of the ultra-Orthodox enlistees in the army today are above the age of 22, but after they receive this exemption, it is highly doubtful that they will be interested in serving in the army. Under these conditions, it is unlikely that the IDF will be capable to achieve those draft goals or even come close to them by merely offering incentives.

Hiddush CEO, Rabbi Uri Regev, commented that, "the massive number of exemptions raises serious question regarding the coalition plan. The logic behind these current exemptions is not clear at all, nor is the implementation of mandatory national service only after four years, in the next government term. At this stage, the coalition agreement only increases the internal tension, it does not reduce it." Rabbi Regev said, "It is an illusion to think that incentives alone will bring yeshiva students to the army draft office in huge numbers or that it is feasible to achieve the target draft numbers, or that after 4 years of sweeping exemptions the army will be able to impose mandatory draft for almost all."

Rabbi Regev called on Yesh Atid to reconsider the coalition plan, "We need to start to implement gradual mandatory service for this population immediately, according to the abilities of the IDF and national service."