A number of talmidei yeshivos are jailed in IDF Prison 6 for failing to report for duty, and 9,527 draft notices have been mailed out to chareidim nationwide. However, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon remains of the opinion that trying to force the hand of the chareidi tzibur will backfire, and he opposes jailing talmidei yeshivos who do not respond to the draft.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Dimona, Ya’alon that he does not believe an entire community can be forced. In addition, he stated “One will never hear me incite against or condemn an entire community, a community that has declared torah study is its fulltime profession. I will never delegitimize the community and I oppose a forced draft.”
“You may say this is not fair for I am forced to serve so why not them,” the minister told students “and you are correct” he added. “However, based on my experience and I do have some experience here, the way to go is to accommodate chareidim to serve and not to yank them from the benches of the beis medrash to jail”.
Ya’alon explains that back in 1999 he was serving as the IDF Central District Commander and the first Nachal Chareidi unit met with him, a total of 90 soldiers. He pointed out that last year Nachal Chareidi numbered 2,000 soldiers and an additional 1,500 chareidim were in national service programs.
He explained that this never occurred in the past and a transition is taking place, one that takes time. “Once upon a time one would not see a bochur in uniform in Bnei Brak or areas of Yerushalayim and this has changed” he added.
“Suddenly we see uniforms on the clothes lines in those areas too. It is a process…91% of discharged chareidi soldiers have found their place in the workplace too along with 85% of those who did national service. Therefore, even if it costs us more, and it does cost more to have them serve in the IDF, at the end, the economy and we all benefit.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz called for equal draft for all citizens, obviously including Arabs.
Last week General Gadi Agmon revealed that 25% men and 36% women who are eligible for the draft do not enlist.
Why then is it only chareidim that are singled out jailed and sanctioned?
As Defense Minister he can order anyone released from a military prison. He can order the Military Police not to arrest yeshiva students. He doesn’t need anyone’s approval to do so. It’s all within his discretionary authority as head of the Defense Ministry.
And if his party, Likud, agreed with him they could pass a statute to the same effect.
Akuperma, The problem here is political, not procedural. Yaalon can release the boys, but why would he? The government has determined it wants to enforce the law.
A common myth is that the Bagatz determined that the draft must include everyone. This is not so. All they insist on is an equitable law that treats everyone equally. However the government right now (i.e. Yesh Atid and co.) has no interest in making such a law, so by default the draft applies to all. The problem is there.
The problem is that the government (Likud, Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid) have made a decision to switch to a policy of active persecution. I suspect the Defense Minister is covering his behind so if this blows up in their face he won’t be blamed (and this could easily backfire if the new Hareidim prove to be disloyal soldiers and undermine the army, or if the heretofore pro-zionist hareidim feel they have been stabbed in the back and rally around the Eidah Hareidis which if they were 10% of the Jewish population could seriously undermine the medinah’s international position). Yaalon reminds me (and I hope I can still say “le-havdil”) of Germans who expressed great reluctance at carrying out Hitler’s policies but were just following orders.