Turnabout in Shaked Committee: economic sanctions instead of criminal

Is the new conscription law soon going to make a sharp turn, on its way to approval by the Knesset?

Journalist Zeev Kam from Ma'ariv reported that the legal adviser of the Shaked Committee, who is preparing the new conscription law, recently began to formulate a new outline of the economic sanctions against those who evade military conscription, in order to replace the current trajectory, stating that criminal sanctions will be imposed on haredi dodgers.

The outline, drawn up by the legal counsel of the commission, was made at the request of the committee chairman, MK Ayelet Shaked and in coordination with other Members of Knesset in the committee. The committee related that the decision was made in order to find an outline of stiff economic sanctions, which would lead to increased recruitment of young haredi people and meeting the recruitment targets set for the haredi public.

One of the outlines which the Committee is examining these days in this context was created by Hiddush organization for religious freedom and equality. The outline includes denial of financing by the state from a yeshiva student who evaded service; non-transfer of finance to an institution which accepted to its ranks students who have evaded service; denial of income support for evading avreichim; cancellation of discounts at the Bituach Leumi; denying state benefits given to persons defined as "student" ; denial of eligibility for the EITC ; denying housing benefits for young couples while granting priority to benefits to couples who served in the aggregate three years; prevention of rental assistance or eligibility for public housing for spouses who had not served at all (except for the handicapped, or sick ); prohibition of or holding office in the state and bodies financed from the state, and the prohibition of participation in certification exams of the Chief Rabbinate.

The Jewish Home last night claimed in the conversation with Ma'ariv, that the talks held by Shaked with Yesh Atid, especially with faction chairman MK Ofer Shelah, the latter expressed willingness to accept the outline of economic sanctions, if it comes to significant sanctions.

"The answer we received from them was that they would be happy to test it," argued the Jewish Home. "Yesh Atid also understand that criminal sanctions are not applicable, because either the law will not be fulfilled, because no one would send military police to Mea Shearim, or there will be a catastrophe, if they do send the military police there."

In response to the outline of economic sanctions which the committee's legal adviser examines, MK Shaked approved the things and said to Ma'ariv: "We are not a rubber stamp for the government bill. I am checking all the options available so that the law will bring about recruitment of haredim and will not cause strong rabbinical resistance, which will only stop the process. All the alternatives are reviewed in conjunction with the committee members, including extra-parliamentary organizations - such as Hiddush and the Israel Democracy Institute. I myself and Ofer Shelah work in collaboration, coordination and transparency."

MK Shelah, who chose not to address the possibility of formulating an outline of economic sanctions, responded to Ma'ariv: "Yesh Atid's position has not changed. The Conscription Law will finally pass in the format it passed in the government and in which it passed in the first reading in the Knesset."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!