The coming weeks leading up the general elections on 11 Shevat 5773 will be emotionally and politically charged. This is especially true regarding the growing anti-chareidi sentiment surrounding the ‘sharing the burden’ and the need to draft chareidim. The drafting of bnei yeshiva into the IDF is once again climbing to a position of prominence in the media and election campaigns of those parties seeking to gain Knesset seats on the backs of bnei yeshiva.
As the cabinet on Sunday, 25 Kislev 5773, voted to approve permitting 1,300 chareidim to join a civilian service program as an alternative to military service, the Yesh Atid Party has filed against the decision with the High Court of Justice, insisting the civilian service is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the Supreme Court decision demanding chareidim serve in the IDF as the remainder of the population.
Just a few short weeks ago, Lapid spoke favorably of IDF or national service, but now that the government has approved the latter option for 1,300 chareidim, Lapid wants to earn additional support, prompting him to challenge the move in the Supreme Court.
Some of the secular and possibly dati leumi parties feel that they can earn additional votes by pushing the chareidi draft issue as well, especially Tzipi Livni’s The Movement Party, which has given the 18th and 19th positions to leaders of the Sucker’s Tent campaign, those who champion the ‘share the burden’ issue.
It is clear that while the chareidim remain divided, the secularists will use the draft issue a major vote-getter in the election and this will likely lead to increasingly unpleasant times for the frum tzibur at large.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Many hareidim may be forced to choose between being well funded zionists or becoming anti-zionists willing to live without government and perhaps delivering a death blow to the state by requesting protection from international human rights agencies.
However we need to look at this from the hiloni ruling class’s perspective. While there is no manpower shortage in the army, there is the threat that the hareidim will soom be big enough to threaten the secular zionist character of the medinah – this may be the last chance for them to break up the hareidi community before it becomes too large to be dealt with.
Nu nu.
Hashem has enough votes in the Knesset to save the avreichim and yeshiva bochurim.