Israeli committee: Enlist 80% of draft-age ultra-Orthodox by 2016
Plesner Committee appointed to draft legislation requiring ultra-Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs to do either military or civilian national service; no specific rules for Israeli Arab enlistment.
By Jonathan Lis, HAARETZ
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Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz has said the committee’s recommendations should be the sole basis for formulating new enlistment legislation.
Netanyahu and Mofaz could meet on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to resolve their dispute over the Plesner Committee and prevent Kadima from quitting the governing coalition over the issue. Kadima joined the Netanyahu-led coalition under the condition that an alternative to the Tal Law be formulated.
The findings by the Plesner Committee determined that about 80 percent of draft-age Haredi Jews would perform either military or civilian national service by 2016.The military service track would last 24 months and the civilian national service track would last 18 months.
Those who did not show up for enlistment would be subject to sanctions, including fines and possibly even criminal punishment. Also, Haredi draft-dodgers would lose property tax and housing benefits, as well as educational scholarships. There would be no deferment of service past the age of 22, except for a group of 1,500 students annually. The Israel Defense Forces and the civilian service would develop and expand service tracks to meet recruitment targets. Shortened army service, which is now customary, would be canceled.
As far as Israeli-Arab enlistment, Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman has demanded that all draft-age Israeli-Arabs – numbering about 30,000 – perform national service.
The Plesner Committee said the principle of “service for all” should apply to the Israeli-Arab sector as well as to Israeli Jews, but it did not formulate directions for incorporating Israeli-Arabs into civilian service.
The committee said such rules should be formulated by the end of this year and that the legislation should be completed by March 2013.
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Recommendations include goal of 80% ultra-Orthodox IDF enlistment, nat’l service by 2016, new service tracks, limiting number of exemptions to 1,500, shortening service, personal sanctions for refusers.
Chairman of the Keshev Committee, Yohanan Plesner, tasked with creating recommendations to replace the Tal Law, presented the findings of his now-disbanded committee Wednesday morning, which included a goal of 80 percent haredi participation in military and civilian service within four years and the imposition of personal sanctions on those who do not serve.
Although Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu dismissed the Plesner committee earlier this week after a number of its members quit in protest of various issues, sources close to Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would nonetheless use its recommendations as the basis for a new law.
The main issue creating political tensions was the condition that those who fail to perform either civil or military service face personal sanctions, something that was ultimately included in the report’s recommendations.
The report recommends applying a principle of “service for all,” which would apply to the ultra-Orthodox haredi population and later to the Israeli-Arab population. It set a goal of 80 percent haredi participation in either national or military service by 2016.
While offering several tracks of service for haredi men, the report recommends that service be defined as a personal responsibility, and that failing to complete it result in criminal proceedings and/or a fine and the loss of potential government benefits.
Haredi men who fail to complete either military or civil service by the age of 23 will lose their eligibility for stipends that kollel students receive. Likewise, they would lose property tax and housing benefits.
The report further suggests limiting the number of haredi men who can receive “permanent [student]” exemptions from civil or military service.
In addition, it contains a recommendation to shorten the service required of haredi men to 24 months. Currently, men are required to serve three years in the IDF. A civil service track would be shortened to 18 months.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
Everybody should do military duty. A country surrounded by enemies needs all able bodied men ( and women too)be prepared to defend it in case of attack, and not by scaring the enemy away with a prayer book.The arabs must understand that they are israelis too, and the best place to begin this change of mind is in the army.
Putting weapons into the hands of those who do not wish to partake in the defense of Israel against the enemies of Israel is insane. They would be more dangerous than Hamas. A better idea is to separate those who can not or will not and have them build facilities for defense, schools, parks, military installations and other projects that Israel needs with wages commensurate with the military pay.
For those who refuse to follow these guide lines should have all benefits provided by Israel denied.
Let’s be smart about this problem.
THE ISRAELI ARMY WOULD BE TRAINING THE MUSLIM ARABS TO MURDER JEWS–THIS IS INSANITY!
THE PLESNER COMMITTEE–ARE A DISGUSTING DISGRACE!
I can’t see any good coming out of requiring Israeli Arabs to do national service. Does anyone really think this is going to turn them into patriotic and loyal Israelis? Of course not. So what, exactly, is the reason? I imagine the investment in money to organize service activities for them will be greater than any return from the work they do. How will you force them to do what they don’t want to do? What Jew will be given the dangerous task of supervising these “national service” workers? How much Army or police presence will be needed to ensure that these national service endeavors remain peaceful? Does it really make sense to take young Arab adults out of their villages and send them on national service projects, where they either work in other Arab communities organizing Israel’s enemies for future disruptive activity or work in Jewish communities or mainstream projects in which they gain the access and knowledge to cause all sorts of trouble for the hated infidel occupiers?
One of the problems of our people is that we always believe if we try hard enough, we can find a “solution” to any problem. Often such solutions only create more vexing problems. Sometimes, as the saying goes, it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Not everyone is fit for military service, either psychologically or physically–nor should everyone be compelled to do so. The military is not for everyone–there are other ways to serve, e.g., in support roles for the military, as without the support roles–the military cannot serve.
Many Haredim–are mentally unstable and mentally ill–its best they are not in the military–its really quite foolish to want Heredim to serve–as the vast majority of them are not fit to serve in military roles!
I have just returned from a trip to Israel. My son, an American and now with dual citizenship, has served in the IDF and just got out He was conronted by an ultra, who told my son that my son was “just like a goy” and did not keep kosher…my son answered that he served Israel via the IDF, Black hat told him that Hashem would save lsrael. My son simply told him to go away.
If you care enough about a nation to kive there then you should care enough to serve in its military if needed and/or requited. Frankly, many of my son’s friends–we met a few–are annoyed that they serve while the religious do not but eat up the welfare…this will eventually wreck moral in the young.
Its not going anywhere.
No one else in the coalition is going to vote for it.
If that is the ground Mofaz and Plesner want to die on, good luck.