Opposition's Draft Law for Haredi Draft Called 'Fake' Compared to Coalition's
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
The Israeli opposition's 2022 draft law for ultra-Orthodox men is criticized as ineffective, failing to significantly increase enlistment. In contrast, the current coalition's proposed law, spearheaded by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, aims for substantial Haredi draft numbers and stricter regulations. Key differences include the age of exemption, with the coalition's law maintaining oversight until age 26, and significantly higher draft targets, aiming for up to 15,000 annually compared to the opposition's 1,566.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The coalition's draft law aims to enlist 14,000-15,000 Haredi men annually, far exceeding the opposition's 2022 proposal.
- The coalition's law requires Haredi men to re-qualify for service deferment annually until age 26.
- The opposition's 2022 law offered automatic draft exemptions at age 21 for most Haredi men.
- The coalition's draft law introduces personal sanctions like travel bans and license revocation for draft dodgers.
- The previous government's draft law had an initial target of only 1,566 Haredi draftees.
- MK Boaz Bismuth chairs the committee that prepared the coalition's draft law.
A comparison between the 2022 draft law proposed by Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz and the current coalition's draft law reveals significant differences in draft targets, exemption ages, and personal sanctions for ultra-Orthodox men.
The opposition's law, passed in its first reading in 2022, is described as a "dummy law" that would have resulted in minimal enlistment of Haredim. In contrast, the coalition's proposed law, prepared by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth, is presented as the first to achieve substantial Haredi enlistment.
A key difference lies in the exemption age. The opposition's law lowered the exemption age to 21, which the article argues was a weakness, leading to automatic exemptions for tens of thousands. Under that law, any Haredi man not drafted within a quota of 1,566 would receive a blanket exemption at age 21, allowing them to enter the workforce and be permanently lost to the IDF. The coalition's law, however, eliminates automatic exemptions at 21. Instead, yeshiva students must re-qualify annually until age 26, proving they meet strict criteria including full-time study, no paid work, and submitting an affidavit to the Defense Minister.
Draft targets also show a stark contrast. The previous government's law set an initial target of 1,566 draftees, with a minimal annual increase, projected to reach only 3,000 after a decade. The coalition's law aims for an initial target of 5,760, rising to 8,500 by the fourth year, and ultimately seeking to draft 50% of the Haredi cohort, approximately 14,000 to 15,000 annually, nearly ten times the previous proposal.
Furthermore, the previous law lacked personal sanctions for draft dodgers, offering only an institutional fine for yeshivas after five years of non-compliance. The coalition's law introduces personal sanctions for the first time, including travel bans, denial of stipends, and revocation of driver's licenses for those who evade service.
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