IDF plan aims to recruit religious women, extend service for yeshiva boys

Military hopes new measures will draft thousands of haredim annually; army service to be reduced to a maximum 32 months, varying according to role

Yoav Zitun|Published: 05.07.13 , 00:05

A new IDF plan aspires to radically increase the number of religious recruits by extending the service of hesder yeshivas' students to 24 months and recruit religious women, among other measures.

The plan is meant to balance the reduction in military service length scheduled to start from July 2015, if approved.

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The new measures include, among others, mandatory civil or military service for religious women and sanctioning of draft evaders.

In addition, the IDF intends to cancel the annual transfer of thousands of soldiers to civilian duty.

This way, the military hopes, thousands of haredi youth will be drafted every year.

The plan is conditioned on additional funding to the sum of NIS 750 million ($210M) and new legislation which will regularize the new draft outline.

Earlier on Monday, IDF representatives unveiled before the Committee for Equal Share of the Burden their plan which, if approved, will gradually set the military service time to a maximum of 32 months – for men and women equally.

According to the plan, the length of service will change depending on the soldier's role, with a clerk's service shorter than that of a combat soldier.

The defense establishment estimates that a comprehensive early release of youngsters to the job market will yield to the State more than a billion shekels ($280M) in revenues annually.

"By this move we'll implement the people's army model and retain a high standard," stressed an IDF official.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in the committee's meeting that though reducing the service time contains a risk, it is still the right move to make.

"It's our duty to make sure it will not make heavier the burden on the reserves," he emphasized.