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About 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews are currently exempt from compulsory military service.
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| By Ellis Shuman July 24, 2002 |
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Knesset members from Meretz and Shinui petitioned Israel's High Court of Justice today after the Knesset yesterday passed the Tal Bill, regulating military exemption for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. The petitioners claim that the bill enshrines in law discrimination between Israel's religious and secular citizens and contradicts the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom.
MK Yossi Katz (Labor) said today that he would introduce a private bill that would require yeshiva students to serve two weeks a year in the Civil Guard. A similar clause was included in the Tal Bill, but was voted down by the Knesset plenum. Katz said that many Knesset members actually support his proposal, which was originally approved in a Knesset committee preparing the Tal Bill for discussion, but then voted against it to avoid a coalition crisis. "Now that the bill passed, I believe I will have vast support for my proposal," Katz said.
The Knesset approved, by a vote of 51-41 with 5 abstentions, the Tal Bill, which for the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel formalized the exemption of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service. Voting for the bill were Knesset members from Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and some members of the National Religious Party and the National Union/Yisrael Beiteinu. Knesset members from Labor, Meretz, Shinui, Center Party, Yisrael Ba'aliya and the Democratic Choice voted against, as did Mks Avigdor Lieberman and Yuri Stern from the National Union.
The bill's approval was guaranteed by six Arab Knesset members who voted in favor, and by the absence of Labor Party members who had vowed to vote against, including Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Transportation Minister Ephraim Sneh and MKs Michael Melchior and Shlomo Ben-Ami. Peres claimed that he was in a meeting and didn't hear the bell announcing that the vote was taking place.
Labor Party whip MK Efi Oshaya was furious that members of his party had "run away from the vote." He vowed that these members would be dealt with at the upcoming party convention.
"Today the Knesset divided Israel into two Jewish states," said MK Tommy Lapid (Shinui), "a Jewish nation that serves in the army and protects the land of Israel, and a Jewish nation of parasites who evade the draft, now with the aid of the law."
The bill's major supporter yesterday was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who two years ago, when he led the Opposition, voted against the proposal. "It is with a heavy heart that I vote today for the bill," Sharon said. "I do this despite the fact that the events of the last two years since I spoke before the Knesset have not changed my opinion on the basic need to more evenly divide the task [of defending Israel]."
Sharon reportedly told Likud members this week that he was "uncomfortable" with the bill, but said it "is crucial that we don't harm relations with the Haredi community, our allies."
According to the Tal Bill, yeshiva students will be granted an exemption from military service as long as they continue to study at least 45 hours a week, and are not employed. At the age of 22, a yeshiva student will have to choose between continuing studies, or joining the work force and fulfilling shortened military obligations. The law is in effect for five years, and it will come up for a new Knesset debate six months before it expires.
About 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews are currently exempt from compulsory military service, Israel Radio reported. Most Orthodox young men serve in the army, while Orthodox women are granted exemptions.
The Tal Bill was originally initiated by the government of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, in line with a High Court of Justice ruling that the practice of granting deferrals en masse to yeshiva students was not legal.
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