Plesner recommendations: Only 1,500 exemptions, personal sanctions

Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu dissolved his committee and forbade the state employees to cooperate, but nevertheless, the chairman of the 'Keshev' committee, Yochanan Plesner from Kadima, refused to surrender.

The recommendations of the Plesner committee were shown to the public after more than a month's work, during which 14 in-depth hearings were held.

Plesner presented the report – consisting of about 100 pages. He thanked the deputy Prime Minister for his support.

Yochanan sat alone, behind the sign bearing his name. Next to him was the attorney of the committee, Sahar Pinto, and this composed the entire number of participants…
But he was insistent to present the report.

"When I used to come back from the army, after weeks of not being at home, I used to see hareidim at the bus stop", said Plesner .
"Was he report not meant to save Kadima?" asked Ben Ari what many others thought – and was taken out of the hall.

"Do you not fear that this is a racial law?" He continued to ask. "I also did a 'stretcher trek', I was also in Lebanon, and when I came back I saw Arabs who are not serving…"

"You're saving the hareidim," shouted M.K. Marina Solodkin from Kadima.

"I don't hate the hareidim," answered Ben Ari, a minute before he was taken out of the hall.

When he presented the report, Plesner claimed that 54 thousand Bnei Yeshivos receive a postponement from the army and brought data which is on the verge of racist, while ignoring the situation in Ramat Aviv and at the Arabs.

The following are the main points of the report, as he presented them: Until 2016 , 80% of the hareidi public aged 18-22 will serve in the army, there will be a fixed quota of 1,500 exemptions a year, while budgets of Yeshivos will also be conditioned according to the percentage of their students' enlisting.

At the age of 22, for a year, each one could choose the following possibilities: army service of 2 years, civil service of a year and a half, or joining the status of the Masmidim in case he will manage to squeeze his way into the list of lucky 1,500 of that year, who will receive an exemption from the Minister of Defense.

The conclusions recommend that whoever will not be enlisted after the age of 23, will cause the allowance of his Yeshiva or Kollel will be deprived, his status as Yeshiva Bochur will be cancelled in the Bituach Leumi (state insurance), he will not be eligible to receive support in housing and mortgages, will not be entitled to a reduction in Arnona (municipal tax), will be forced to pay a penalty of 7,500 NIS, while each additional day of dodging will cause a jump of the penalty with an additional 75 NIS, and after 5 years this will lead to criminal procedures.

Separate recruiting courses will be opened for hareidim, the shortened service which was the custom until now – will be canceled, and Hesder Yeshivos will be opened for hareidim as well. A financial positive incentive will be given to Yeshivos whose Talmidim will serve.

The committee recommends to affix an obligatory service of two years in the army, and a year and a half for national service, which will prevail in the entire Israeli public gradually, not only the hareidim.

In the framework of evil sanctions against the Torah world, the less that will enlist, so will the general budget to Yeshivos decrease.

According to recommendations, a Yeshiva bochur who will not declare his intention to enlist, will cause his Yeshiva to receive a budget of 0.4 points only (the value of a whole point is 475 NIS per month). Whoever declared his intention to enlist until the age of 22 will credit his Yeshiva with 1.2 points for the budget, a Talmid who will enlist between the ages of 20-22 will credit his Yeshiva with 1.5 points.

Yesterday a senior factor in the committee informed that Netanyahu forbade all the state workers to cooperate with Plesner and his committee. Without resources, and without anyone to sign the report besides himself, Plesner was forced to complete writing the report – on his own…

Among the friends who were prevented from cooperating with the hearings and the signing of the final report were: Prof. Yedidya Stern, Yafa Zilbershatz and a representative of the IDF.

M.K. Einat Willef (Atzmaut) decided not to add her decision, and joined, at least partially, the representatives of Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi, who announced their withdrawal.

But Plesner himself would not surrender, not even the fact that this has to do, in the long run, with his own report…

This morning, in an angry interview to the Yediot newspaper, he said sharp things against the Prime Minister: "Netanyahu is dangerous. If he won't take a decision to break away from the hareidi parties, the public has to sever him from the seat of Prime Minister".

According to different reports, "Kadima" warns that if the principles of the document will not be applied, it will leave the coalition. At the same time, in Kadima they admit that the report presents possibilities of finding a compromise .

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!