From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Lapid calls on government to start drafting Haredim: The days of ‘shady deals’ are over
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid calls on the government to begin an immediate mass mobilization of yeshiva students following the High Court of Justice’s ruling that there is no legal basis for excluding ultra-Orthodox men from the IDF draft.
“The High Court spoke this morning, and it was clear and sharp, including the most conservative judges: there is no more exemption for the ultra-Orthodox. Draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are illegal. The defense minister must uphold the law and issue conscription orders to tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox youth who have so far evaded military service,” Lapid demands.
Addressing the annual Herzliya Conference at Reichman University, Lapid declares that the days of “shady deals are over,” as is the reality that some Israelis get to shout “We will die and not enlist” while others “die because they did enlist.”
“The Torah is not an excuse for evasion and the Talmud is not an excuse for refusal. From today onwards, those who do not enlist will not receive a single penny from the state. There will be no more stipends for kollel students who do not mobilize,” Lapid states, promising to exercise oversight to make sure that the government does not fund yeshivas “under the table.”
Addressing senior members of Netanyahu’s coalition, Lapid says that “as of this morning, the recruitment of the ultra-Orthodox is the law. If you don’t follow the law, it’s a betrayal of the IDF soldiers, a betrayal of the reservists.”
