(JNS) – Israeli Minister-without-Portfolio Benny Gantz announced on Monday that his National Unity Party will leave the government if it passes a haredi conscription law as outlined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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“The people will not tolerate it, the Knesset will not be able to vote in favor of it, and my associates and I cannot be part of this emergency government if this law passes,” said Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet. “Passing such a law would be crossing a red line during normal times.”
“I appeal to the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox parties as someone who has no doubts about the importance of studying the Torah and preserving Israel’s heritage and tradition—do not try to pass an incorrect law that the entire nation cannot bear,” he said.
Netanyahu has said he will bring the proposed law to a Knesset vote on Tuesday, however, the process of passing the bill into law could take months.
Under a law that expired in June, conscription-age Haredi men enrolled in yeshivas can obtain repeated one-year deferrals until they reach the age of exemption from mandatory military service, effectively exempting them from military service.
Haredi leadership discourages military service, seeing it as corrupting and a distraction from Torah study. In 2021, 87% of haredi 18-year-olds did not enlist, while 86% of non-haredi Jewish 18-year-olds did. The disparity has caused sharp friction within Israeli society.
The shock of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, and the resulting war, have exacerbated the problem, leading to widespread calls for an end to blanket exemption from IDF service for haredim. Adding to the pressure is the realization that the military requires a larger standing army to deal with multiple fronts.
A temporary extension of the exemption law issued by Israel’s High Court in late February is set to expire next week. The court gave the government until the end of this week to issue a response. In the absence of any move by the government, the Israel Defense Forces will be required to enforce the draft of haredi men starting on April 1.
Bringing the draft law to a Knesset vote would buy the coalition more time.
According to Ynet, which has seen a copy of the outline, under it Haredi men would be exempt from service until age 35, up from age 26 currently.
The draft legislation sets no quotas for the number of haredi men that would be required to enlist, and the IDF wouldn’t take steps to bring Haredim into the armed services until June 16, the deadline set by the court for a new enlistment bill to come into effect.
Special military units would be set up to accommodate the religious sensitivities of Haredi men. The units wouldn’t include female soldiers and would be ready by August 2024 when new Haredi conscripts are expected.
Earlier on Sunday, before Gantz’s statement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who left for the United States on Sunday, also said he would oppose the coalition bill.
In late February, Gallant said he would only support a Haredi conscription law if all members of the coalition did, too. His declaration garnered criticism from fellow coalition members, who said it essentially handed veto power to Gantz, who while a member of the emergency wartime government was otherwise opposed to Netanyahu’s leadership.
MY Question is this:
What happens to the day the chlonim say – They are also not going – we are not sending our sons to the army, as others don’t go?
Can Israel survive on only the frum Zionist religious boys being the ones to go to the army. Yo cannot put someone else is child in jail for not serving, while leaving other free. It would never work and Israel will become a volunteer army.
In a certain way this is a greater danger to Israel then Gaza.
Hashem’s Salvation can come with the blink of an eye. The Charadim will not go into the army and Hashem will help… We are winning the war NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF JEW IS SERVING!! All Hashem is waiting for is Shalom Between us and Moshiach is here.
I can’t believe the same conversation about drafting the charedim is still going on with no changes. It’s been 75 years. Have they not yet learned???
Sorry but I personally feel that the Ultra religious/Charadim need to also support the IDF or National Service or if they opt out they receive no financial benefits or benefits of any kind what so ever from the state for life!
To all those that say. “it will never happen, you can’t force people to go to the army” Are you sure about that?
It seems America had a draft. also England, France, and Russia, they forced all their citizens to protect their countries. My Grandfather a chossid in Hungary was force to cut off his long beard and go to the Hungarian Army (munka taba). In America those that didn’t want to join when they were drafted to fight in Vietnam, had to flee to Canada and never were able to come back. Seems every other country was successful.
Why do you think Israel cannot do it??
Do you think the “Israeli people” are these “weakling push overs” kind of people that can’t enforce a mandatory draft. You should really re- think this, or better yet, take a walk around Israel and note the resilience of the people who live here.
Doesn’t he realize the Torah prorects the IDF?
MK GANTZ tries all his powers to unset Netanyahu, without telling the Israeli people, how he would succeed in finishing off the Hamas and what his program is for Gaza and the Palestinian people. Gantz left for the USA , without getting the ok from the war cabinet. Moreover Gantz discussed his personal plans with Biden , Blinken and other USA personalities, including Shumer . They came to an agreement that Gantz would agree with Blinken and Bidens programs to be excecuted for Gaza and the Yehuda Shomron areas, which would break the war cabinet and the falling of the current Israeli government supported by Lapid, Bennet and other Knesset members. Amazing how Gantz became a traitor of the Jewish people and loses the war against Iran, Hisbollah and Hamas and the Arab states.
This is just such silly political posturing. You will never ever succeed in drafting charedim. They just won’t listen. And for those who think oh we can punish them with money. It won’t matter. There are enough billionare charedim in the USA. And you can’t cut low income programs just for kollel guys so they’d still get some money. You are all wasting your time. “ein mah lasot”. The only thing you can do is work with charedim to better accomodate and slowly get more people to join even if it isn’t fighting per say.