Speaking with Israel Radio on Tuesday afternoon 11 Adar I 5774, Minister of Environmental Affairs (The Movement) Yair Peretz spoke out strongly regarding the need to address the “hesder problem today”, and not push the matter off.

It was reported that in the Monday session of the Shaked Committee, an effort to add one month of military service to the hesder service, 17 months instead of the current 16 months, was defeated. Peretz’s colleague MK Elazar Stern was also opposed, because he feels the hesder soldiers must serve 24 months. Peretz agrees and explains that for each month the hesder soldiers don’t serve, more reservists must be activated and this is unacceptable.

“I receive calls from hesder soldiers all the time and they tell me that they are uncomfortable with the fact they only serve 16 months, they feel that they are not doing their share… Why should my son and your son have to serve 36 months and hesder only 16? They must serve 24 months” Peretz exclaimed.

In closing he added that if hesder only has to serve 16 months there is no way the state will compel chareidim to serve 36 months.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz both feel hesder soldiers should serve 24 months but Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett is not accepting their position, opting to act in line with the rabbonim of the hesder yeshivos.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)