The "conscription" crisis in Israel: the chief rabbi threatens to leave the country
Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has threatened to leave the country if mandatory military service is introduced for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The opposition accused him of harming the country's security.
Yosef's attempt to pressure the government to prevent the conscription of the Haredi population, who make up the majority of illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, is causing debate in political circles.
What is the cause of the crisis?
In 2017, Israel's Supreme Court overturned a law exempting Haredi Yeshiva religious students from compulsory military service , citing discriminatory reasons . The court order asked the government to pass a new law to draft more ultra- Orthodox Jews into military service. This requirement has been delayed for years due to concerns of governments over losing votes.
The deadline for the exemption of this category of citizens from military service expired on March 24 .
In an interview with Israel's private channel Channel 12, Yosef said that if religious Israelis were forced to serve in the military, they would all go abroad. Yosef pointed to the Israeli believers and said, "If they force us into the army, we will all leave the country. We will buy tickets and leave . "
In his opinion, secularists endanger the state . "Without the Torah, without the religious schools, the army would not succeed, and the Israeli army is succeeding because of religious people who believe in the Torah," he claimed.
Yair Lapid: He receives his salary from the state
The leader of the opposition, one of the former prime ministers of Israel, Yair Lapid, reacting to the words of the chief rabbi, "Rabbi Yosef's words are a shame and an insult to the Israeli soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. Rabbi Yosef is a state employee, he receives his salary from the state, he cannot threaten the state. Whoever escapes from the army let him run away, he will not receive a penny from the State of Israel.
Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the "Our Home Israel" party, also accused Yosef of harming the country's security.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up 13 percent of Israel's population and are expected to grow to 19 percent by 2035, have the right to attend religious schools instead of three years of mandatory military service. Some say that a religious lifestyle contradicts military requirements, while others are ideologically opposed to a secular state. Last week, ultra-orthodox Jews blocked a highway near Tel Aviv with slogans such as "We will die, but we will not go to military service."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement last week that he aims to recruit ultra- Orthodox Jews into the army.
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