A grim development regarding the upcoming elections: Defense
Minister Barak, whose party is hovering around the threshold
for winning a Knesset seat, has apparently decided to run
his campaign for the next Knesset on the backs of yeshiva
students. In a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and
Security Committee on Monday, which dealt with the law of
army service for yeshiva students, he declared that he is
determined to put the law into action.
MK Rabbi Gafni immediately reacted: "We will not allow any
impairment to the Torah world or permit a strike against
[full time] yeshiva students who declare Torah as their
vocation."
Barak reported that he has already directed the IDF to call
up all chareidi youth aged 16 through 19, the same way as
all youth throughout the country are drafted, and to prepare
for their integration into the armed forces through a
swelling of special divisions, the development of various
technological courses, and creation of additional ones.
In addition, he stated that due to the upcoming elections,
the conscription of those aged 20 through 28 will be
executed later on.
"I have instructed Zahal to formulate suggestions for
drafting the chareidi population in accordance and spirit of
the Supreme Court decision, our military needs and the
upgrading of equalization of the [public defense]
responsibility," he said. In addition, he stressed that
Zahal would operate in consideration of the individual
rather than the collective needs.
In spite of this declaration, the Defense minister noted
that in his opinion, "All this must be arrived at through
negotiated agreement rather than aggression or coercion."
Barak further reported that the conscription of yeshiva
students would be done gradually, due to the sensitive
period of elections. "We are in a delicate situation and
must avoid belligerence and force. But we are certainly
headed in the direction of change."
Barak also clarified that this is an interim policy pending
the formulation of a law in the Knesset regarding the status
of Torah students. But as things stand now, they are
obligated to be mobilized. In the future, he said, he will
support a law calling for part of this sector to pursue
their studies, another part to serve in the army and a third
part to serve in civilian service positions.
MK Rabbi Gafni sharply attacked his statement, focusing on
Barak and the members of Kadima, saying, "I am mortified to
hear your words, for everyone has always known that pursuing
Torah studies is a fundamental Jewish value." He added, "I
invite every single person present here to visit the yeshiva
world, to see how in the Ponovezh yeshiva the students are
not only plugging at their studies at noon but equally at
midnight. You are living on another planet or generating
this only because of the upcoming elections. Send your
police, if that will increase seats for Kadima and for
Atzmaut. These elections have been forced upon us. The
result: the army is behaving shamefully. Yeshiva students
have approached me and I have received many appeals along
these lines which insult us and where yeshiva students are
being interviewed against their beliefs."
Many young yeshiva students have received notices to report
to the army to be drafted, but in accordance with standard
Israeli army policy, the dates are more than a year into the
future. A 17-year-old yeshiva student recently received a
notice to report in May, 2004.
