IDF: 1,000 Chareidim Entered Combat Units This Year

According to the head of the IDF’s Human Resource Unit, 3,000 chareidim entered the military this year, of which 1,000 entered combat units.

Brigadier-General Eran Shani spoke to members of the special ministerial committee amending the new draft law on Thursday morning, 22 Tammuz, explaining the chareidi inductees “are smart and extremely talented and they do amazing work and make a significant contribution to the IDF and this cannot be disputed”.

The bill was passed into its first reading in Knesset earlier this week and the committee is responsible for amending the law and preparing it for its second and third/final vote in Knesset. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman are interested having the bill passed into law by the end of the current Knesset session, less than two weeks.

The chareidim are divided on the bill at present, with the Agudas Yisrael faction of Yahadut Hatorah now trying to stall. Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has been speaking with PM Netanyahu, asking him to freeze the bill until after the current session. The Degel Hatorah faction of Yahadut Hatorah and the Shas party appear to disagree with Agudas Yisrael. They seem to prefer to have the committee make minor changes and then pass it into law, realizing this may be the best alternative available to them. According to a recent Chareidim10 report, this is the opinion of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita, who explained to Degel Hatorah faction MKs this is not the time to break apart the coalition.

Source: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)