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NEWS
Government Approves Extension of Draft Deferment Law
By Betzalel Kahn
The government approved another five-year extension of the
draft deferment law for yeshiva students at this week's
cabinet meeting. The law was passed by 21 ministers, while
the new justice minister, Daniel Freedman, abstained.
When the military deferment law was re-legislated a few years
ago, it included a paragraph stating that the law would be
valid for five years, but the Knesset is authorized to extend
the law for additional periods of up to five years each
unless a discussion is held in the Knesset at least six
months before the law expires.
A few weeks ago MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni contacted the Prime
Minister's Office to demand that the approval process be
accelerated. Last Sunday the cabinet addressed the law and
decided to extend it for another five years. This position
will be presented to the Foreign Affairs and Security
Committee when it draws up recommendations to the Knesset
plenum. Only after the issue is discussed in the Foreign
Affairs and Security Committee and is brought for a vote in
the Knesset plenum, is the law officially extended.
MK Rabbi Gafni said the objective of the law is to allow full-
time yeshiva students to continue their studies.
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