Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that the proposed Haredi conscription law is “a face of the most horrific government in the history of Israel” (Reuters)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid described the Haredi (religious Jews) recruitment law, which will be put to a vote tomorrow, Tuesday, as an “insult to the army,” describing those participating in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as “involved in this moral stain.”

Lapid added, according to what was reported by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, that the proposed conscription law is “a deception against the public,” and that it “will harm unity and harm security, and this is a red line.”

The Israeli opposition leader said yesterday, Sunday, that the proposed conscription law is “a face of the most horrific government in the history of Israel.”

Lapid wrote - in a post on the X platform - that “Netanyahu’s government is lying and evading responsibility, and whoever continues in it is an accomplice in this shame.”

In the same context, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz announced his rejection of the amended approach to the Haredi conscription law, and that he renewed his threat to withdraw from the emergency government if the law is passed, considering that the proposed conscription law "will harm unity and harm security."

The government is expected to discuss the proposed draft law tomorrow, Tuesday, amid expectations of intense discussions between supporters and opponents, at a time when the Israeli army continues a devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

The Supreme Court had given Netanyahu's government until March 31 to reach an understanding regarding the recruitment of the Haredim and obligating them to military service, as the number of those who can be assigned currently stands at 157,000 people, but the army does not recruit them and they are considered - according to the law - deserters. Military.

Old controversy

Religious Jews make up about 13% of Israel's population. They do not serve in the army, and they say they devote their lives to studying the Torah.

The law requires every Israeli male and female over the age of 18 to serve in the military, while the exclusion of the Haredim from service has raised controversy over the past decades.

But their failure to serve in the military, in conjunction with the ongoing war on Gaza and the losses of the Israeli army, has increased the intensity of the controversy, as secular parties demand that religious people share in bearing the burdens.

Since 2017, successive governments have failed to reach a consensus law regarding the recruitment of Haredim, after the Supreme Court annulled a law enacted in 2015, which ruled to exempt them from military service, considering that the exemption violates the “principle of equality.”

Since then, the Knesset has continued to extend their exemption from military service, and at the end of this March an order issued by the government to postpone the implementation of compulsory conscription for the Haredim expires, obligating it to submit a written response to the Supreme Court regarding the steps to address this issue.

The issue returned strongly to the forefront in the middle of this month, after demonstrations in which thousands participated, calling for compulsory conscription of the Haredim.

But Netanyahu may find himself facing one of the partners in his coalition government, whether or not the government approves the conscription law.

Haredi parties, such as Shas, headed by Aryeh Deri, and Torah Judaism, headed by Moshe Gafni, strongly oppose the imposition of military service on the Haredim, and may threaten to withdraw from the government, which means holding early parliamentary elections.

Statements by the chief Sephardic rabbi in Israel regarding the rejection of military conscription in the occupation army sparked reactions within the government and the war council.

The Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Jews in Israel (the Eastern Jewish sect), Yitzhak Yosef, said that if the religious people were forced into military service, they would all travel abroad.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies