Yesh Atid plans rally to protest breakdown in talks over new universal draft law
Party chief Yair Lapid calls Kadima and Likud’s failure to agree on legislation ‘a historic missed opportunity’
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Yesh Atid is set to rally at locations around the country Friday to protest the stalemate between Likud and Kadima in their effort to legislate a replacement to the so-called Tal Law, which for 10 years granted exemptions from military or national service to yeshiva students.
The party’s founder Yair Lapid called “the postponement of a solution to the issue of national service a historic missed opportunity.”
Yesh Atid demanded that the government find a suitable replacement to the Tal Law without delay. The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the law was unconstitutional and would expire on August 1.
The news of the Yesh Atid rally comes after Likud and Kadima’s talks over a universal draft law — via Kadima’s representative, MK Yohanan Plesner, and Likud’s representative, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon — broke down Wednesday.
The sticking points of the negotiations center on whether to impose sanctions on haredim who do not serve in the military or perform national service — i.e. draft dodgers. Another contentious issue is the potential to require Israel’s Arabs to perform national service, something Israel has never done before.
On Saturday, Lapid showed his support for universal conscription by attending a demonstration in Tel Aviv in which some 35,000 Israelis called for national service for all Israelis.
“We feel as though we are being cheated by the prime minister,” Lapid said at the rally, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of “political games” over the new universal draft law.
The Times of Israel Community.