End of Lapid's decree: Knesset plenum approved amendment to draft law

The decree was canceled: After a heated debate, the Knesset plenum approved tonight (Tuesday) the amendment to the draft law. Yesh Atid announced that it will file against the amendment at the Supreme Court.

The discussion which lasted several hours, was accompanied by loud speeches of opposition members who opposed the amendment. 49 voted in favor, 36 against - the Arabs abstained.

All members of the coalition supported the Law, except Likud MK Yoav Kish who did not take part in the vote: "The amendment of the law in its current form does not constitute a proper solution to the issue of equality of burden," he said, "since the reservations I proposed were not accepted, I have decided not to vote for it. I agreed with the haredi Knesset members, to discuss the draft outline and work to reach understandings and agreements on it".

During the discussion, MK Moshe Gafni attacked the members of Yesh Atid, and shouted at them "hypocrites".

The amendment includes a significant extension of the adjustment period. Instead of a period ending in 2017, the amended law set a first adjustment period until 2020 and a second adjustment period up to 2023.

In addition: criminal sanctions are eliminated, so that they will not be realized even after the end of the adjustment period. Instead, sanctions were set contingent on the discretion of the Minister of Defense, on the assumption of not having a defense minister to activate them.

Besides, the law includes a number of technical and legal amendments. Some are designed to allow the law to pass the test of the Supreme Court, after the latter rejected the Tal Law and made it clear that in order to give a major force in the hands of Defense Minister to grant an exemption from military service to large numbers, the legislature must establish it explicitly.

Earlier in the evening, Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni said: "the recruitment law, is not our law, we do not even want it, but it is a lesser evil, it allows those who want to learn Torah do so without interference, it is important for us, it is critical that this amendment to the existing law passes, it is not our law, but to correct the situation, and we pray that the law will pass".

Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush said: "We laud those who support agreement without conflict and coercion. Have to commend the Minister of Defense for his consistent position, who always, even during Lapid's period, opposed Lapid's obsession campaign against the haredi community and his talk is actually in favor of the Torah scholars."


Knesset vote. Photo: Akiva Weiss

Yesh Atid at the Supreme Court
Yesh Atid party announced that," following the abrogation of the equality of burden law, the party of Yesh Atid, in cooperation with the Student Union and students in Israel, shall submit to the High Court against the cancellation of the Equality of Burden Act".

"At a time of a dangerous security situation", said the party "when security forces are confronting an abhorrent wave of terror - precisely at this time the Israeli government eliminates the Equality of Burden Act. This is moral bankruptcy. One hand is sending the best of our sons to protect the lives and second hand betrays the most basic principle of duty of service to everyone. This is inexcusable.

"The nature of the Jewish people is one that requires mutual commitment, the character of the Jewish state requires a joint stance against evils, which may come to the state as such - and there is no need to say much about the security situation of the State of Israel".

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!