Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: ועדת פלסנר), also known as the Commission for Equality in the Burden (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: הוועדה לקידום השוויון בנטל), was a
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
established by the
Government of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel (; ) is the cabinet which exercises Executive (government), executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of Minister (government), ministers who are chosen and led by the Prime Minister of Israel, prime ministe ...
to formulate recommendations on the recruitment of
Israelis
Israelis (; ) are the Israeli citizenship law, citizens and nationals of the Israel, State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Israeli Jews, Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percen ...
to the
Israeli Defense Forces
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli (b ...
, in particular the recruitment of
Haredi
Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...
m and
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
. The committee was established prior to the anticipated expiration of
Tal Law
The Tal Committee was an Israeli public committee appointed on 22 August 1999 which dealt with the special exemption from mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) given to Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews which had been the status ...
which exempted
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
students from mandatory military service in the IDF.
The committee included representatives of all the
coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
parties, with the exception of the religious parties (
Shas
Shas () is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi religious List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardic Jews, Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until ...
and the
United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism (, ''Yahadut HaTora'') is a Haredi, religious conservative political alliance in Israel. The alliance, consisting of Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah, was first formed in 1992, in order to maximize Ashkenazi Haredi repr ...
parties), which boycotted the committee. On July 2, 2012, about a month and a half after it was established, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
dissolved the committee after several representatives withdrew from the coalition in protest over the way the committee was conducted. On 4 July, the chairman of the committee Yohanan Plesner published the committee's report although he was the only one who signed it.
Background
On 23 July 2002 the
Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
passed the
Tal Law
The Tal Committee was an Israeli public committee appointed on 22 August 1999 which dealt with the special exemption from mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) given to Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews which had been the status ...
, based on the recommendations of the
Tal committee
The Tal Committee was an Israeli public committee appointed on 22 August 1999 which dealt with the special exemption from mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) given to Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews which had been the status ...
. The Tal Law set the conditions for the exemption of
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
students from military service. The law was a temporary one pending further consideration and set to expire after 5 years. On 18 July 2007, the Knesset extended the law by a further 5 years. On 21 February 2012, the Israeli Supreme Court declared the Tal Law unconstitutional,Court Bans ‘Tal Law’ for Religious Exemptions from IDF. /ref> by 6 votes to 3, and that the law could not be extended after it expired on 1 August 2012.
As a result, the government established the Plesner Committee. It consisted of ten members, included both Knesset members and representatives of the public. The committee began deliberations on 21 May 2012, and the Prime Minister asked them to report by the end of July 2012.
Members of the committee and professional teams
Committee members were:
* MK Yohanan Plesner, a representative of the
Kadima
Kadima () was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan in August 2005, and was soon ...
party and committee chairman
* MK
Ze'ev Elkin
Ze'ev Elkin (born 3 April 1971) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a Member of the Knesset for the New Hope (Israel), New Hope Party. He was previously a member of the Knesset for Kadima, Likud and the National Unity (Israel), Nati ...
, a representative of the
Likud
Likud (, ), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement (), is a major Right-wing politics, right-wing, political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing par ...
party.
* MK
David Rotem
David Rotem (; 11 January 1949 – 8 June 2015) was an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu between 2007 and 2015.
Biography
Rotem was born in Bnei Brak and grew up in Jerusalem.Israel Beiteinu party. Withdrew from the committee on June 28.
* MK
Uri Orbach
Uri Shraga Orbach (; 28 March 1960 – 16 February 2015) was an Israeli Religious Zionist writer, journalist, and politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home party, and as Minister of Pensioner Affairs.
Biography
Orbac ...
, a representative of the
Jewish Home
The Jewish Home () was an Orthodox Jewish, religious Zionist and far-right political party in Israel. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet and Tkuma in November 2008. However, Moledet broke away from t ...
party. Withdrew from the committee on June 28.
* MK
Einat Wilf
Einat Wilf (; born 11 December 1970) is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Independence and the Labor Party.
Biography
Einat Wilf was born in Jerusalem and raised in a Labor Zionist family. She studied at the ...
, a representative of the
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
party.
* Yehuda Segev, former head of the
Manpower Directorate
The Israeli Personnel Directorate (, ''Agaf Koakh Adam'', abbreviated to AKA), formerly called the Manpower Directorate and the Human Resources Directorate, is the Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively ...
.
* Attorney Jacob Weinroth. Withdrew from the committee on July 1.
* Yoav Kish, public representative, leader of the "HaMachana HaMeshutaf" (המחנה המשותף) movement
* Professor Yaffa Zilbershatz, a professor of law at
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...
* Professor Yedidia Stern, a professor https://www.haaretz.com/2012-02-19/ty-article/forgotten-artwork-by-one-of-the-fathers-of-the-dada-movement-restored-to-life-in-israel/0000017f-da74-dea8-a77f-de76b8550000 law at
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...
Dissolution
Following the withdrawal of the representatives of the parties Israel Beiteinu the
Jewish Home
The Jewish Home () was an Orthodox Jewish, religious Zionist and far-right political party in Israel. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet and Tkuma in November 2008. However, Moledet broke away from t ...
party, on 2 July 2012 Prime Minister Netanyahu informed that the committee would be dissolved because it could not form a recommendation without a majority.
Netanyahu's instructions on the dissolution of the committee created a political crisis within the
coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
and an unsolvable dispute between Netanyahu and Kadima's chairman
Shaul Mofaz
Shaul Mofaz (; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, and Operati ...
.
MK Plesner's report and recommendations
After the dissolution of the committee its chairman Plesner published a report on 4 July 2012 which was based on the draft of the committee's report. Plesner stated that he wrote the report himself, and some members of the committee, including Yedidia Stern, ostracized it. The aim set by in the report is to recruit 80% of the Israeli Jewish Haredim from 2016 onwards, and impose heavy fines on
draft dodger
Conscription evasion or draft evasion (American English) is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military dr ...
s and on the yeshivas at which large numbers of draft dodgers study.
The main recommendations:
* The main aim: from 2016 onwards about 80% of all male Israeli Jewish Haredim at the age of 18 would serve a significant amount of time in the army or in civil service.
* Personal responsibility: the responsibility for serving the state would be on the individual - financial penalties, criminal punishment and the denial of benefits would be imposed on draft dodgers.
* Recruitment age: all people would be required to serve until age 22 except for a selected group of 1,500 yeshiva students.
* Service routes: the army and civil service will develop designated routes to accommodate the large number of male Israeli Jewish Haredi recruits.
* Community and institutional responsibility: heavy fines and sanctions would be imposed on yeshivas at which large numbers of draft dodgers attend.
Proposed sanctions on individual haredi draft dodgers
* An immediate fine of 7,500 NIS.
* An additional fine of 75 NIS for every day in which a draft dodger failed to report for military service.
* Cancellation of the individual's yeshiva allowance and of the individual's special income support scholarship which is granted to yeshiva students.
* Cancellation of the individual's yeshiva student status at the National Insurance Institute.
* Eliminating the individual's eligibility for state support for housing and mortgages.
* Eliminating the individual's eligibility for a discount on
property tax
A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
.
* A yeshiva which would have more than a quarter of its students absent would stop receiving support payments, and if at the next check up it would be the same that yeshiva would be closed.
* Ministry of Education would visit yeshivas, and if any of the 1,500 selected yeshiva students would be missing from the school, it would be fined 50,000 NIS.
ynet
Ynet (stylized in all lowercase) is an Israeli news and general-content website, and the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronoth'' newspaper.
History
Ynet launched on June 6, 2000, in Hebrew, following other Hebrew outlet's website launches ...
NRG Ma'ariv
''Maariv'' () is a Hebrew language, Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Israel.
From Sunday to Thursday, it is printed under the ''Ma'ariv Hashavu'a'' () brand, while the weekend edition that is out on Friday is called ''Ma'ariv Sof ...