It appears life is becoming increasingly complicated for members of the Shaked Committee and their new chareidi draft bill. Assistant Attorney General Dina Zilber addressed the committee according to a report filed with Maariv by Ze’ev Kam. She told committee members that from a legal point of view the proposed draft law is very problematic since it creates a system on inequality as the general population is drafted at age 18 and the chareidim are in their own category. Zilber explained that if they want to the law to stand up to legal challenges it will have to be labeled a temporary law that will expire in 2020 for if passed as a permanent law, it will not withstand legal scrutiny. Zilber stated if it is not categorized as a temporary measure to address an immediate problem but as a regular law, it is highly unlikely that it will fare well when challenged in the Supreme Court.

Zilber feels the public will have an easier time digesting the inequality aspects of the law knowing that it will be reevaluated in a few years rather than attempting to set it in stone.

Interestingly, Shas MK Yisrael Atias immediately objected and has been working tenaciously behind the scene to torpedo efforts to have it passed as a temporary law for six years. Maariv quotes Atias explaining the issue of changing the lifestyle of chareidim and dealing with the new realities of the law is not a small issue, basically one that demands revamping a lifestyle and it is unacceptable to stipulate the change is only for six years. He explained the best law is one that is implemented, not one on paper and refused to accept the temporary status.

He told committee members the chareidi lawmakers will do their utmost to maintain calm among the tzibur and that the chareidim will meet the annual inductions goals, and therefore, declaring the law temporary is unacceptable.

“If you are telling us that all of this noise is temporary and that in six years we are starting all over then you will encounter problems immediately, from today. There are goals set in the law and let’s see if we meet them. Telling me the law will expire in 2020 is not worth anything” Maariv quotes Atias as saying.

As a compromise they decided the national service component of the law will be temporary and expire in 2020.

Maariv quotes a committee member anonymously saying “finally, the cat is out of the bag. The chareidim are quite pleased with the new law and they do not want it to expire in six years for if that is the case they will find themselves addressing the same issues as today.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)