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The Anti-Chareidi Draft Law was Passed Because of a Promise It will Not include Arabs
by Y. Schwartz
The Knesset plenum passed the law of chareidi mobilization this past Monday at its first reading. This follows the fact that a fortnight earlier, the Coalition failed to round up a majority of votes needed for authorization. Security Minister Gantz immediately presented the law again at that time, and on this Monday it was read before the plenum for its first reading. 51 Knesset members supported it in a vote of 51 against 48 opposed.
In the last vote, MK Raida Zuevi from Meretz voted against it, causing its downfall. This Monday, however, she voted for it. Later she disclosed that her vote came in the wake of a special agreement which swung her to the Coalition.
"After I came to understandings with the Coalition regarding the problems of the Bedouin in the Negev over the lands, the settlements which are not recognized, and the construction of an overall plan aimed at developing resources in the Bedouin villages, and, of course, after the Coalition committed itself not to use the draft law for chareidim as justification for a similar law involving the Arab population and every relevant law aimed at the Arab sector, I voted today for the draft law for chareidim."
Chairman of UTJ, Rabbi Moshe Gafni, said, "It became clear to me how things have deteriorated over twenty years, to your discredit. Then a typical boy in the national secular education system studied gemara, Tanach and Jewish studies. At that time, members of the anti-religious parties used to tell me, 'I learned gemara twenty-thirty years ago. My son doesn't learn that and is ignorant.'
"Aren't you ashamed to preach against us when we are voluntarily study Torah? Aren't you ashamed to reprove and reproach us when you totally avoid all study of Torah? You should be ashamed of yourselves! A disgrace."
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