National Service for Chareidim

Arutz Sheva:

..During 2003-4, only 77% of eligible 18-year-old Jews and Druze enlisted in the army. Nine percent received "Torah study" exemptions, while 14% did not enlist for health or other reasons. The Ivry Committee recommends that those who neither enlist in the army nor serve in a national service framework be stripped of their rights to receive government-backed housing mortgages, allocation of land by the Israel Lands Authority, and even monthly National Insurance Institute child allowance payments.
It is felt that without the above threat, neither Arabs nor hareidim will feel obligated to perform national service. The recommendations have a long way to go before being accepted, but in the meantime, the Cabinet voted yesterday to enable National Service for hareidim. The government resolved that as the goals of the Tal Law have not been sufficiently attained, the Defense Minister must order the army to enable "more attractive" courses of enlistment for hareidi soldiers. Such courses will be similar, in terms of duration and type of service, to hesder units (five years divided roughly 2-1 into yeshiva studies and active army service), Nahal hareidi (three years of service catered to a religious way of life), and new-immigrant service (shortened duration).In addition, the Cabinet voted to enable young yeshiva students to perform a track of national service....