Haredi Strategy to Delay Ultra-Orthodox Draft Law
Translated & summarized from Channel 13 by baba
Ultra-Orthodox leaders, including Shas Chairman Arie Deri, are strategically delaying the conscription of their community into the IDF, aiming to "gain time" rather than solve the issue. Past legislation like the Tal Law and a 2014 draft law failed to achieve enlistment goals. Leaders like Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch have admitted to prioritizing time over meeting quotas, leading to significant economic and security costs for Israel due to the Haredi population's rapid growth.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Haredi leaders are using a strategy of delaying tactics to avoid conscription, aiming to "gain time," according to Arie Deri.
- The Haredi leadership views the issue as a demand for conscription, while the public sees it as an unequal burden.
- Past laws, including the 2002 Tal Law and a 2014 draft law, failed to integrate Haredim into military service.
- Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch admitted that his faction has no intention of meeting enlistment targets, valuing the time gained.
- The delay strategy incurs significant economic and security costs for Israel due to the Haredi population's rapid growth.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders are employing a strategy of delaying tactics to avoid the conscription of their community into the IDF, according to a report citing statements by Arie Deri, chairman of the Shas party. Speaking at a closed event in Modi'in Illit, Deri told party activists that "the rabbis' instruction is to gain time" regarding the issue of drafting Haredim, acknowledging that the problem is currently unsolvable.
The article posits that while the Israeli public views the issue as an unequal distribution of security and economic burdens, the Haredi leadership sees it as a demand for conscription. This fundamental disagreement on the nature of the problem prevents progress toward a solution. The strategy, termed "delaying the inevitable," has been in place for years, with legislation like the Tal Law (2002) and a subsequent 2014 draft law failing to integrate Haredim into military service.
These laws, intended to gradually increase Haredi enlistment through transitional periods and quotas, were ultimately discarded without achieving their goals. The Haredi leadership's approach, as described, is to accept temporary arrangements that provide a few years of exemption, which are then replaced by new extensions. This cycle of delays effectively ensures that no Haredi is conscripted.
Recordings from January revealed that Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, a leader of Degel HaTorah, admitted that his faction had no intention of meeting enlistment targets, viewing the time gained as the primary benefit, even if the law was eventually struck down. Rabbi Dov Lando has also consistently opposed the conscription of non-yeshiva-attending Haredi youth.
The article highlights the significant economic and security costs of this prolonged delay, especially given the rapid growth of the Haredi population, which is more than double the non-Haredi national average. While the state presents each delay as a step toward a solution, the Haredi leadership reportedly uses these periods to ensure no solution is reached, with the state treasury, Haredi individuals, and serving soldiers bearing the cost.
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