Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon reports the induction of chareidim will not take place until December 2013 at the earliest, referring to 608 chareidim who were slated for induction in the “summer induction” between August and October. The senior cabinet minister was responding to Supreme Court Chief Justice Asher Grunis who was hearing a petition seeking to determine when chareidim will be called for service.

The state explained to the court that demands to compel the immediate induction of the chareidim are unreasonable since the Knesset is passing a new draft law and preparations are in earnest regarding the drafting of eligible chareidim.

Asked why bnei yeshivos should be permitted to push off service for a number of years by the Movement for Quality Government, the state explained that this is the case for many thousands of bnei yeshivos, including hesder, in a long-standing agreement that permits delaying service to permit them to continue their limud torah.

Hiddush attorney Uri Regev tells the court that the state is acting in a discriminatory faction by permitting bnei yeshivos to push of their service while others do not receive such an option. Regev feels that Ya’alon does not really intend to draft chareidim at all.

The petition heard on Tuesday, 23 Menachem Av 5773 was filed with the court in 2010 by Hiddush, Ometz, Student Union, and the Center for Pluralism seeking to compel the state to stop funding avreichim who sit and learn. The petitioners maintain the funding to 10,000 avreichim negates High Court ruling that disqualified the Tal Law.

The court was critical of the state’s policy, with Justice Esther Hayut pointing out “a demobilized soldier who is single and wishes to attend university will not receive funding while an avreich who pushed off serving in the IDF received funding.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)