If Haredim are sanctioned for draft avoidance, Leftists should be too
You can all try to identify the famous Israeli draft evaders in the comments, but let's give the Prime Minister some credit: He's shown the Left up for its hypocrisy in demanding sanctions against individual Haredim for not serving in the IDF. Netanyahu's associates raised the issue of leftist evaders in order to prove a point that haredim should not be punished for their ideology. Left-wing organizations blasted Netanyahu's associates for making the comparison between haredim and conscientious objectors.
"What they said shows a complete lack of understanding of democracy,” said Ishai Menuchin, the chairman of Amnesty International Israel. “Sanctioning those on the Left who do not want to be part of an occupying army or those on the Right who oppose abandoning the land of Israel would be wrong. Those whose conscience does not permit them to take part in one kind of army or another should be allowed to fulfill their debt to society in a different way and not via army service.”
Roy Yellin, who serves as a spokesman for several left-wing organizations, said refusers on the Left who avoid the army do so legally and those who do so illegally are thrown in jail. He accused Netanyahu of trying to distract the public from his efforts to help the haredim continue to evade service.
Peace Now secretary-general Yariv Openheimer said he opposes refusing order to serve on an ideological basis.
“If the prime minister wants to present the Left as refusing, he should first deal with the Right, where there are many more people who have refused to serve since the disengagement from the Gaza Strip,” Openheimer said.
Okay, the second one was too easy, but it was kind of hard to find pictures of her fully clothed.The entire 'draft crisis' is really just a way to 'get' the Haredim. There are many other groups in Israeli society that aren't drafted (Leftists and Arabs being among the more prominent along with women, some of whom are only pretending to be religious), or who served shortened service (athletes, rock stars, models, musicians, dancers and hesdernikim -the latter being quite different because they serve mostly in combat units). I give Netanyahu credit for calling the Left on its hypocrisy, but the hypocrisy goes beyond the Left to many of Netanyahu's coalition partners. There are some valid points on the issue here.
Let me add one personal story. A well-meaning friend and fellow attorney told me several years ago that I would probably have more clients if I wore a different kippa (skullcap). He's probably right, but I chose to take a different path.
Labels: Bar Refaeli, Binyamin Netanyahu, Haredim, hesder, IDF, Israeli Left
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:11 PM
1 Comments:
The issue is to what lengths will a state take to accommodate any group who works to essentially take themselves out of the state while living in it and partaking of some of the services and protections afforded it. For instance the Amish and Mennonites live on the fringes of modern American and Canadian society in some very real cultural ways which extend into their responsibilities to the state. When there was a draft in the US they were exempted for clearly religious objections. Likewise Quakers - who could be called upon to serve but as medics. The problem is when those groups wish to take themselves almost completely out of the sphere of the state as if they live on a reservation or some kind of Autonomous Region. Then the state has very little duty to them. No real obligation to educate them or provide health care or municipal services or much of anything besides national security, by default. So perhaps if the Haredi want to live in autonomous ghettos they can be accommodated, but they might not like the ramifications of that.
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