MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud), Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, announced today (Tuesday) that he would not pass a draft law out of his committee unless it meets three criteria.
These conditions are: drafts in high numbers, a rapid increase in the scope of the draft cohorts, and drafting of combat and combat support troops - thus ruling out alternative service such as ZAKA as a substitute for army service.
Edelstein said that this is not the target for the law but the starting point for any further discussion on a draft law. Any such law must be approved by the committee he chairs before it can be passed by the Knesset.
Earlier today, Defense Minister Katz presented what he called the "principles" of his planned draft law to be presented to the Knesset before Edelstein's committee.
Katz said that he aims to draft about 50% of every Haredi draft cohort within 7 years, starting with 4,800 this year and 5,700 the next. In addition, he plans to impose institutional and personal sanctions on those who are not formally exempted from service.
However, Katz stressed - with support from IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi - that any effort at drafting Haredim without their support and especially that of their spiritual leadership was doomed to failure, no matter the existing legal situation.
He noted that he allowed 7,000 draft notices to be sent out, to the cheers of "many in this room," only to see actual recruitment from the Haredi community drop significantly.
Meanwhile, Haredi journalist Yishay Cohen noted that while Haredi parties were aware of most of Katz's principles, there are a number of issues on which they strongly disagree and refuse to support. Cohen also noted that the law would be "difficult to impossible" to sell to the parties' spiritual leadership.
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