Channel 10 correspondent Avishai Ben-Chaim spent many years covering the Shas party, especially Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L and he is well acquainted with the chareidi community as veteran religious affairs correspondent.

Having participated in the Million Man Atzeres he shared his impression with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), speaking of the “Shared feeling or mourning and oppression felt by participants against the State of Israel”.

Ben-Chaim added “I feel however the mourning is not among the chareidim, but the secular, for it is that community that will have to continue bearing the security burden for it is clear the chareidim are not going to serve”.

Ben-Chaim feels that as a result of the chareidi tzibur’s defiance, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon will use his authority and veto the Shaked Committee’s decision not to extend women’s service in the military, explaining the move will be required to make up for the chareidim who are not serving. This is due to the fact that the Shaked Committee decided to accept Ya’alon’s recommendation to curtail service for men, from 26 to 32 months, but rejected the second half of the proposal, adding four months to the women’s service, from 24 to 28 months.

Ben-Chaim added “With Lapid and others, all the experts, it is not going to work. The community that carries the burden today will continue carrying the burden alone for it is clear the chareidim will not serve.

“At the very least the law should provide better salary and conditions for those who serve.

“At the end of the day, most of the chareidim serving are not really still chareidi and the service is not a real service. They spend a year learning a profession or completing high school. Even the service is not the real deal”.

Galei Tzahal host Razi Barkai added, “Yes, and this may be the final step before shifting to a professional army”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)