But don't demand that we pay your way. Learn for the sake of learning and accept that the State will not pay you

These guys are slow learners. They should be exempt till age 96, and by then they will most likely have learned everything.

Netanyahu had one of the biggest coalitions in decades, and he blew it all to bits. He could have made history, but instead decided to appease very small religious political parties, and in the way step over the Israeli public and democracy. I consider this betrayal and will never even think of voting for Likud. This law must not pass. The Tal law was a farce and it took the court decades to repel it. Another farce must not take its place.

But from 18-21, and every half a month per year after that until 45, you belong to the army and WILL give back instead of just taking constantly, just like everyone else in this country. Does it not make you puke to know others must carry you on their shoulder while you do nothing to help the state? You can read the Torah for 60 years, but 3 years and for Miloyim you serve the state. Also, if you can, learn the Torah with your own damn money and not ours.

Thanks for the explanations. Once again,we see that there is no plausible reason for rabbis to ask what they are asking for the state ,other than their primarely economical interest in mantaining the status quo of an hypocrit system that they cynically call " religious".

but being at the "religious"side is a bad thing,in the present case of Israel. Bibi must have discernment. If he is at the side of spurious economical interests,he is going to fail. His position by being at the side of religious will only be valid if he follows Truth. I hope Bibi,being a Jew,knows very well where Truth stands.

And what I write here is intended to be peaceful and in no way to involve sticks or stones or any other implements other than human determination. Rothschild Blvd. is not the place. A mass sitdown outside the Knesset and the PM's office with a demand that this nonsense with the Haredim stops immediately, they either shape up or ship out, they are useless and a burden on all of society. Either they pull their weight or they go somewhere else. Equality in privilege and equality in obligations. It is so simple.Anything else is an unacceptable whitewash.

At 26 most of them fathers a half a dozen of kids ;) ,...

This is why the partnership with Kadima broke up because Mofaz wanted 22 as the age for the draft whilst Bibi wanted 25/26 At the end of day allowing the haredi to defer the draft until 26 is no different to secular Jews going in the army at 18 then at 21 going to university. Here the haredi will go to yeshiva and hopefully do abit of growing up because they have been brought up in a sheltered lifestyle and when they have had their yeshiva time qualified to be rabbies etc then they can be drafted. Its also a fact we can't just have a wholsale universal haredi draft and it needs to be taken slow for the haredi community who are going to heve to get used to this new law and the IDF which is not equipped for mass haredi enlistment and doesn't even want them as it wants to cut down on manpower save money and replace men with machines wherever possible. Lets not let hatred of haredi pressure Bibi rush into making a botch job to avoid being haredi hating Yair Lapid's punching bag. We need patience and let the politicians do what they are there to do and make legislation.

Netanyahu has far more urgent security matters to deal with as we all do. The 'draft issue' is not going away and this supposedly 'historic' time to deal with it will come around whenever it is 'needed'. 26 is of course unrealistic since the haredim will be married and claiming exemption for pressing family reasons like supporting their family. In the meantime every effort should be made to persuade the Rabbis to urge young Haredim men to enlist as the Torah, which also lists several exemptions, demands. It is a religious moral duty.

is to win wars. The average of the US G.I. in WWII was 23. In four years, two theaters of war were won. The average age of US G.I.'s in the Viet Nam War was 19 and that war dragged on and on and on and was not won, nor was the Korean War won that is still ongoing. So there is a great advantage to having older troops in their twenties who want to win and get it over with and go home and who are not afraid to shoot the enemy.

What can we do, how can we make our voices heard?? How do we let this moron know that our protests should be taken seriously?? As a leader, Netanyahu has failed in every way possible. There is NOT ONE politician in Israel who has the balls to do what needs to be done. And I repeat, we should all be asking, as just one person, what can I do to make my voice heard. Waiting until the next election is just too far away ..... heaven only knows what Netanyahu will sell next.

.., and what exactly will you, Al, be doing? And what will anyone else be doing. Praying will be the only useful thing to do

acts like a bully, he always gets his way, no matter what the cost, but in the end he will pay dearly for this.

are you completely mad, "the only useful thing to do is pray?" Like the 6 million in the Holocaust? I thought we had learnt that lesson but it seems some haven't

Instead of cringing and bleating about how young and innocent the Haridim youth are i suggest every Haridi is forced to read this article in Ynet, "...Disabled soldier fulfills dream of becoming IDF officer...". this is the difference between one who loves his country and accepts his responsibility!

OF THERE CITIZENSHIP LET THEM STUDY UNDER MUSLEM RULE IN ARAB COUNTRIES .THEY HAVE LEARNED NOTHING FROM THE PAST 100 YEARS A MAN WHO DESIRES SAFETY TO STUDY OVER FREEDOM DESERVES NOTHING.

...and then the argument will be "How can you take away the father of 4-5 kids and put him into the Army? "

IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY EVERYONE IS EQUAL.THE FACT THAT ONE IS RELIGIOUS DOES NOT EXEMPT THEM FROM SERVICE. THEY SHOULD SERVE AT AGE 18 LIKE ALL OUR YOUNG MEN AND WOMAN DO.

Any idea where? No one missed them in places where they came from as far as I know ,...

Here let me make that easy for you...the answer is NONE! NOT A ONE HAS THE USA WON. So please do us all a favor put your socks back over your hands and walk away from the computer.

If he's ready to contribute 10-15 hours a day to learning Torah, studying the sources of the great Jewish civilization and be part of the journey to the heart of humanity. That's another form of national service.

They do not do nothing for this country only to take from it at the same time they hate it. We must stop giving them free money and they will have to go outside to work and learn what is the real world. Then maybe them selves will understand that them must defend the country they live in. Meanwhile they are just a problem to normal society.

At the height of the Vietnam War, with conscription in the USA, every yeshivah student and Christian seminarian was given a 4D or Divinity exemption from being drafted.

When the first modern secular Zionists arrived in the Holy Land, the Haredim were here to greet them. The Old Yishuv or the Haredim were here long before the modern State.

and filthy water. There were no more than 10,000 of them a century ago. perhaps 10,000 will choose to live that way again. Bibi surrendered to the penguins. I wonder what they gave him in return.