Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday unveiled recommendations for "a realistic and relevant arrangement" that would form the basis of a bill to formalize the drafting of ultra-Orthodox men in the Israel Defense Forces.
The recommendations were formulated by a committee of senior military and defense officials. This marks the first time the IDF has outlined its own needs on haredi recruitment objectives.
The issue of mandatory military service for the ultra-Orthodox has been a thorn in the side of Israeli politics for years. Many in the ultra-Orthodox community believe military service should be secondary to Torah study. However, many secular Israelis question why they are expected to shoulder the burden of defending the country without any contribution from a substantial sector of the population.
The committee set minimum annual targets for haredi conscription, with the state to impose financial penalties on haredi seminaries that do not meet the target. Many such seminaries enjoy substantial state funding.
The framework was submitted to government ministries Monday, and will be presented for a Knesset vote in three weeks.
The committee recommended setting new recruitment targets both for the IDF and for the National-Civic Service program, which offers an alternative to mandatory military service. If adopted, the target for 2018 would be just under 4,000 ultra-Orthodox recruits, to increase by 8% annually over the next three years, then by 6.5% annually in the following three years, then by 5% annually in the next four years.
"The number of recruits from the ultra-Orthodox sector has increased tenfold in the last decade," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. "We should continue with the efforts to progressively increase the number of recruits to the IDF and National-Civic Service."
The committee recommended "setting new goals for the IDF and National-Civic Service draft, an annual increase in the number of those serving, significant financial sanctions on draft dodgers, and increasing benefits and remuneration for those who serve."
The recommendations come ahead of a September deadline set by the High Court of Justice for the Knesset to re-legislate a previous haredi conscription exemption law that was struck down in September 2017. The court rejected the exemption on the grounds that it undermined the principle of equality before the law.
The court suspended its ruling for one year to allow the government to come up with a new arrangement and pass a new law.
The chairman of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, Yakov Litzman, has warned that unless a new proposal resolving the issue of haredi conscription is enacted into law by June 22, the party will leave the coalition, likely triggering a coalition collapse and early elections.
The committee was headed by the Defense Ministry's chief legal counsel Itay Ophir, and included IDF Personnel Directorate Planning Division head Brig. Gen. Eran Shani, Military Judge Advocate General Maj. Gen. Sharon Afek, Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim, and the head of the Defense-Social Branch at the Defense Ministry, Moshe Tzin.
The committee's recommendations were approved by Lieberman and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot. The Defense Ministry said it hopes to push the legislation through by the end of the Knesset's summer session.
"The principle of universal conscription is a key value that is essential for maintaining the character of the IDF as a national army," the committee wrote in its recommendations.
"The IDF needs recruits from the haredi sector, and it needs to be able to absorb them in a way that benefits the IDF while also contributing to their future integration into the workforce.
"The committee recommends expanding the administrative sanctions imposed on draft dodgers and deserters. The IDF and the National-Civic Service Administration will add service tracks adapted to the ultra-Orthodox public that will advance their integration in the workforce."
A group advocating for burden equality criticized the outline, saying that the proposals change nothing.
"Even Defense Minister Lieberman, once one of our greatest supporters, has surrendered to politics and to the desire to hold on to his seat," the Israeli Forum for Equal Rights and Obligations said in a statement.
"This proposal will not change the existing reality and it will only perpetuate the outrageous discrimination. Secular Israelis and some in the religious sector will join the IDF, while the haredim will continue to do as they please, with pay and impunity. This is another law that will not live up to the test of reality and will be struck down by the High Court of Justice."
