Ashkenazi. More haredim joining army
צילום: אבי רוקח
IDF chief: Reserve service has become a disadvantage
Ashkenazi visits Ashkelon high school with Education Minister Sa'ar, says employers must care for reserve soldiers' rights
IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday expressed his discontent over the treatment of reserve soldiers by their employers.
"Reserve service was once an advantage when hiring someone. Today, unfortunately, it has become a disadvantage," Ashkenazi said during a visit to a high school in Ashkelon.
According to the army chief, the Israel Defense Forces "is working with the employers in a bid to care for the rights of reservists, with the goal of placing them in the right place in society where they should be."
Ashkenazi, who spoke during a visit to a high school in with many graduates who have become officers, also addressed the enlistment issue. He said that hundreds of ultra-Orthodox youth have begun their military service recently, not as part of the Nahal Haredi unit.
Ashkenazi and Sa'ar in Ashkelon (Photo: Avi Roccah)
As for the draft dodging issue, the IDF chief said that "we must look at the situation from a national perspective, considering the fact that there is no room for a professional army in the Israeli reality."
The chief of staff said that those who do not join the army should be "directed to national or civil service, in which each person knows their rights as well as the need to fulfill their duties."
Residents protest outside school (Photo: Avi Roccah)
He added that expanding the national service could help different bodies, including the police, the Magen David Adom emergency service and the fire department.
Ashkenazi was joined by Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar. Some of the southern city's residents took advantage of the visit to stage a protest outside the school, calling on the government to fortify educational institutions in Ashkelon.
Yinon Jibli, chairman of the local parents' committee, said that "just like we contribute to the defense establishment, we expect the defense establishment to protect the children of Ashkelon."
