Plesner Committee member: Historic opportunity missed

Professor Yedidia Stern tells Ynet PM's decision to dissolve committee tasked with drafting new IDF draft law 'politicized an important social issue.' Mofaz aide: No point in meeting with Bibi

Attila Somfalvi|Published: 07.03.12 , 00:43

"I am very disappointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to dissolve the committee. We missed a historic opportunity to ease the tensions surrounding one of the most heated disputes in Israeli society," a member of the Plesner Committee told Ynet on Monday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his decision to dissolve the committee.

The committee was tasked with drafting an alternative to the Tal Law, which exempted ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from army service.

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Professor Yedidia Stern told Ynet that the committee would recommend a plan that would lead to the recruitment of about two thirds of the haredi public to the IDF within five years.

Stern said Netanyahu "politicized an important social issue that needed rectifying."

The professor added: "Netanyahu's statement that unless the issue is resolved beforehand, a universal draft law would go into effect on August 1 can mean one of two things – either we open up the draft to haredim and Arabs, or these are just empty words.

"I fear that this summer will be characterized by extreme social tension – and this is what we were trying to avoid," the committee member said.

Meanwhile, a source close to Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz said in response to Netanyahu's proposal to meet with the vice premier in order to discuss the dismantling of the Plesner Committee that "there is no reason to hold the meeting.

"Netanyahu made up his mind and there is no point in discussing it after the fact," he said.

Earlier, the prime minister said he would convene the heads of the coalition "in order to draft a proposal that would garner a majority in the Knesset."

However, the source noted that "the prime minister knows Kadima's position, and the only reason for calling the meeting is to discuss the framework of the Plesner Committee and its recommendations, including issuing personal sanctions against those who refuse to serve in the IDF."

Netanyahu decided to dissolve the Committee after Yisrael Beiteinu, Habayit Hayehudi and haredi representative Yaakov Weinroth resigned.