Unexpected assistance: Meretz faction opposes criminal sanctions

Support for Haredim from an unexpected direction?

In the Meretz faction meeting held today (Monday), the party announced that it intends to oppose and fight the criminal sanctions and the Equal Burden Law - which is explicitly undemocratic. The announcement joins the objections filed by MK Tamar Zandberg at the Shaked Committee today.

Faction chairman MK Zahava Gal-On explained the decision: "There is no doubt that the law of equality of burden is not democratic, and legislators do not really mean equality of burden."

One should note that this position of the Meretz faction is in opposition to the Yesh Atid faction led by Yair Lapid, who has stated several times, and repeated it a few days ago on 'Meet the Press' that he intends to leave the government if the bill will not include criminal sanctions.

Meretz party joins an announcement from Hiddush a few days ago, and things said by the organization's leaders, Shahar Ilan and Uri Regev, that they will petition the High Court if the law which passes will include criminal sanctions.

"As much as it may seem right to lead to criminal sanctions, in practice not only will imprisonment of yeshiva students will not bring to their recruitment, but likely it will prevent it altogether," explained Hiddush. "The goal which should be foremost for all of us is how to accelerate the blessed but too slow progress of the integration of Haredim into service and the economy, and to promote the value of equality in sharing the burden. Economic sanctions are the most effective way to achieve this without rolling the Israeli society into violent physical confrontation with the haredi community."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!