Peri Committee approves criminal sanctions for Haredi 'draft dodgers'
The ministerial committee for equalizing the burden approved Wednesday imposing criminal sanctions on draft dodgers, including haredim.
...
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Peri, culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich voted in favor of the move. Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz and MK Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) abstained.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid lauded the decision in press conference following the vote, describing the measure as the first significant step toward equality in the burden.
"This government proved it can make a change, even in the most explosive topics," he said.But if the goal is for Haredim to enter the IDF and the workforce, that goal was not served today. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who opposed the sanctions, expressed fear that the committee has set up a confrontation with the Haredim in which all progress that has been made toward Haredi enlistment, including Nachal Haredi (which is now the largest unit in the IDF), could be lost (link in Hebrew).
Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel points out that criminal sanctions would prevent many Haredim from entering the workforce by closing many (if not most) jobs to them even after the criminal sanctions period ends. In response to Ariel's claim, Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz proposed that the criminal sanctions be expunged from the person's record (it's not clear when and under what conditions), but that proposal was defeated by the committee.
After the committee vote, Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid. son of Tommy, called a press conference to gloat (link in Hebrew). His main argument was that this isn't an attack on the Torah world. I can tell you that 99.99% of the Torah world sees it as precisely that. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Labels: Haredim, IDF, Yair Lapid
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:37 PM
2 Comments:
How else do you propose getting Haredim to serve in the army, other than through criminal sanctions against them?
Frankly - the system as it is is absolutely unsustainable. It is absurd to support 10% of the population (and growing!) to sit on their bums. Based on my interaction with friends who became Haredi or married Haredim, most of the Haredim who "study torah" in fact are afflicted with work allergies. Why should Israel support a system that perpetuates a system of work allergies? How does this benefit anyone, least of all the Haredim?
Actually, I think that Lapid ended up losing this round of the battle. The Peri committee is now agreeing to wait four years for criminal sanctions (instead of three years) and allowing the Defense Minister to decide how each individual or group will be handled when the time comes. This was Ya'alon's request and he says he got it.
It came out later in the day and it was in Defense Minister Ya'alon's favor rather than Lapid's favor.
Not that Lapid is likely to admit it since his entire career is based on Haredi-bashing (like his father).
Israel is nation with a great number of people who want to make peace with the Arabs. How many of these same people have any compassion whatsoever for very religious Jews?
Not many, apparently. This is very wrong.
Post a Comment
<< Home