Addressing the Sixth Ramle Conference under the banner “Public Law in a Jewish State” Minister Naftali Bennett spoke about his plan for drafting chareidim.

Regarding Israeli Arab citizens, the minister explained on the personal level the state must uphold equality, and this pertains to a citizen’s responsibilities too, adding at times, there are sectors of the nation which do not uphold their fair share. He explained that on the national level, Israel has one nationality and Israel is the nation for the Jewish People and the nation will not accept dual nationality.

He feels there are “two failures, citing the lack of equality regarding Israeli Arab citizens”. The second failure according to Bennett is the state’s lack of a “hard hand regarding manifestations of nationalism that are not accepted.” He refers to it as “incompetence on the nationalist side.”

“I want to see Arab women integrated into Israel as much as possible. This begins with sovereignty and police enforcement in Israeli Arab cities and villages and in the south, zero tolerance to dual nationalism in the State of Israel. The vast majority of Israeli Arabs do not represent a negative trend vis-à-vis the state, and we must receive them and they will come.”

Bennett then shifted to the chareidi tzibur, predicting 30,000 chareidim will join the workforce in the coming four years as a result of the new reality being implemented by the government. He feels this is essential to bringing the chareidi community into the national workforce and towards better integrating chareidim into the nation.

Bennett explains that in stage one of the new draft plan reality, the next four years, there will be a cross-the-board deferment for chareidim, permitting men from the age of 22 to decide if they wish to continue limud, enter the IDF or an approved national service or enter the workforce.

In stage two, 100% of 18-year-olds will be permitted to continue limud Torah for three years while continuing to enjoy state support. In the fourth year, 1,800 talmidim will receive permission to continue limud while the others will be compelled to serve in the IDF or a state approved national service program.

Bennett explains his office will work to expand the workplace to accommodate the influx of chareidim, to eliminate discrimination against chareidim job applicants, and to provide vocational and technical training for those seeking to acquire the tools to earn a living.

He called on employers to hire chareidim and Arabs, citing he remains confident when the numbers of these sectors in the workforce increase as anticipated they will, they will prove themselves by dispelling the negativity surrounding them today.

Regarding his alliance with Yair Lapid, he admits that at first, the alliance was not a natural one but he remained true to his word despite enormous pressure. Bennett remains optimistic towards seeing true progress in the new administration in the areas of budgeting as well. He feels the administration is willing to do those things that “we all know are necessary, but no one wants too, many too afraid.”

Bennett admits that bringing large numbers of chareidim into the IDF will be at the expense of other values such as the ‘exclusion of women’, and at some time in the future it may be difficult setting a balance between such agendas as they work to bring chareidim in while maintaining the character of the military

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)