The ultra-Orthodox parties on Sunday introduced a controversial amendment to Israel's draft law that would exempt nonreligious Torah scholars, in addition to the ultra-Orthodox, from military service.
The proposed amendment to the Defense Service Law comes on the heels of a demand by the haredi parties to expedite the introduction of the "Basic Law: Torah Study," which aims to safeguard Torah studies as a fundamental core value in Israel.
The draft amendment states that "the defense minister will outline, by regulations, standards that will enable populations that uphold the provisions of Basic Law: Torah Study but are excluded from this chapter, including those in Torah study institutions for the nonreligious and for women, to be eligible for a deferment of service."
The bill also seeks to deprive the Defense Ministry and the military of the ability to supervise compliance with recruitment targets, saying the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee should supervise the issue.
The haredi parties say they want the bill to pass before the 2019 state budget is presented for its second and third Knesset readings.
The budget was approved in its first reading on Feb 13. Dates for the budget's next readings have not yet been set.
The Yisrael Beytenu party vowed to thwart the proposed amendment. Faction Chairman MK Robert Ilatov called on Coalition Chairman MK David Amsalem not to present the bill for a vote and stressed that Yisrael Beytenu will vote against it.
"Yisrael Beytenu demands the new draft bill not be presented for a vote before the coalition and the government have the opportunity to properly debate it," Ilatov wrote in a letter to Amsalem.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri said, "The prime minister has instructed everyone to do whatever they can to make sure the draft bill is fast-tracked, so as to avoid a situation in which the [High] Court repeals it. It has taken us some time to find a legal solution," he said.
Deri was referring to a 2017 ruling that overturned a previous amendment to the Defense Service Law, which exempted yeshiva students from military service until 2023.
