Protest over equality in IDF draft relaunched
As Haredi parties work to reverse burden equality legislation at the Knesset, Yesh Atid, Students Union and Equality of Burden Forum set up protest tent outside army headquarters; Lapid: 'Netanyahu and Ya'alon are surrendering to extortion.'
The protest over equality in the national burden has reawakened on Wednesday morning in light of a bill proposal expected to pass that would remove sanctions against ultra-Orthodox youth who dodge IDF service.
Representatives of several different organizations, including the Equality of Burden Forum, the National Students Union, and the Yesh Atid party, have set up a protest tent outside the Kirya army headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Zionist Union MKs Omer Bar-Lev and Merav Michaeli, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and MK Elazar Stern, and Yisrael Beytenu MK Sofa Landver were in attendance.
"There is an unusual gathering of organizations here," Lapid told the protesters.
"It's not about being against Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) - we're not against Haredim. It's about the totally basic principle of equality," he added.
Ahead of the vote on the 2015-2016 state budget, scheduled for November 19, the Haredi parties plan on using their influence to threaten not to support the budget unless the IDF draft law is changed.
A solution led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon calls to postpone the implementation of Yesh Atid's burden equality legislation in six years.
"Since the passing of the draft legislation, there is a 40 percent increase in recruits, and a 300 percent increase in those going out to work (among the Haredim)," Lapid said. "The prime minister voted in favor of the legislation four times. He sat next to me and raised his hand. Ya'alon is the commander of these soldiers and he raised his hand too. And now they're cancelling it because they need to pass the budget and surrender to extortion. This must be stopped."
Zionist Union MK Omer Bar-Lev welcomed a new plan adopted by the IDF on Tuesday to streamline the army, but noted there was one thing the plan does not address: "Strengthening the IDF's conscripted fighting force. Cancelling the draft law only says one thing: Giving up on drafting Haredim, and increasing the burden carried by everyone else who do serve."
Gilad Arditi, the chairman of the National Students Union, lamented the fact that "the students in Israel are also those who serve in the reserves," while their peers who go to yeshivot do not serve at all. "We're here today because we want to say: Enough. We can't go back. To us, this is a social and civic struggle that we are passionate about. We're not here on behalf of any political party. In the last Knesset, the law was supported by all Zionist parties."
