Jerusalem – The Ministerial Legislation Committee will discuss whether to approve a proposed bill fining high school graduates who obtain fraudulent exemptions from military service.
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According to terms of a long-standing agreement between the haredi community and successive governments, full-time yeshiva (religious seminary) students are excused from mandatory IDF service. The arrangement, originally signed in 1955 between then-leader of the ultra-Orthodox community Rabbi Yeshaya Karelitz (also known by the moniker Hazon Ish) and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, applied to 400 students a year but has grown exponentially in recent decades. Today, thousands of ultra-Orthodox men are excused from army service each year.
The bill, proposed by Likud backbencher Nava Boker would impose a NIS 150,000 ($40,500) fine on anyone fraudulently obtaining a draft exemption.
Thousands of Israelis dodge the draft every year by obtaining fraudulent medical records indicating they are unable to serve or by falsely claiming they are yeshiva students.
Another army-related bill tabled for discussion is MK Revital Swid’s (Zionist Camp) proposal to provide free travel on public transportation all active IDF personnel, including national service soldiers, career personnel and people on active reserve duty, whether or not they are in uniform.
In addition, the committee will also discuss Tzipi Livni’s proposal to amend legislation to guarantee that at least member of the Judicial Selection Committee is from the party of the leader of the opposition. This has been long-standing practice, but was never formally enshrined in law. This time the government broke the unwritten rule and used its parliamentary majority to impose its candidate,Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilitov, on the opposition. A few months later the party joined the coalition, but the government, claiming it is not bound by mere precedent has refused to allow another member of the opposition to replace him. As a result, for the first time in the history of the Knesset, the opposition does not have a representative on the committee.
Tzipi Livni said her proposal would guarantee the integrity of parliamentary tradition, and ensure the committee remains balanced. “The current situation severely compromises parliament’s ability to maintain parliamentary checks and balances, which is one of its prime jobs”.
Fine them? That seems like the least that could be done to them.
To Paul who lives in Saudi Arabia: Unless you have ever served in the armed forces of the USA, or in your beloved Saudi Arabia, where you reside, you have no business criticizing those, who do not wish to serve in the armed forces of another country.