ISRAEL LAW TAPS RELIGIOUS JEWS FOR MILITARY SERVICE Israel’s parliament passed a law Wednesday stripping ultraorthodox Jewish men of their exemption from the military draft, in the first of two hotly disputed votes this week that could transform the country’s social and political landscape. The new conscription law, which will go into effect in 2018, was approved in the Knesset by a vote of 65-1, with most of the measure’s opponents boycotting the balloting. The passage of a new draft law came on the eve of another Knesset vote that would require any ceding of territory to Palestinians in a future peace deal to be approved by a public referendum. This measure is also expected to win parliamentary approval, which will add yet another hurdle to the U. S.- backed efforts to advance the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Proponents of the conscription law passed on Wednesday say that in the decades since the founding of Israel in 1948, the ultraorthodox community, which now makes up about 8% of the country’s 7.7 million people, has grown to the point where it must participate in the army to maintain a viable country. They also view the 36 months of military service in the Israel Defense Forces, which is mandatory for all other young men and women in Israel, as a vital step toward a more equitable share of the responsibilities of Israeli citizenship. Critics of the new law say Israel’s ultraorthodox men should continue to be excused from military service because their study of the Torah and other Jewish religious texts contribute to the wellbeing of the Jewish people. Also, some ultra-Orthodox Jews reject the authority of the state or any of its institutions, saying their loyalty is only to God and the Torah. These people reject Zionism and refuse any formal recognition of the state of Israel. Wednesday’s vote represents a sea change in the ultraorthodox community’s status inside Israel, said Yaron Ezrahi. “For the ultraorthodox the draft implies a revolutionary change in their entire world view,’’ said Mr. Ezrahi, a professor of political science at Hebrew University. “The army is a secular system of authority outside of the rabbis.” But for the rest of Israel the law is an important— and welcome— milestone: “The symbolic commitment that various parts of the population will share the risks on the future battlefield is significant,” he said. The requirement to hold a public referendum on any Israeli handover of land to the Palestinians is certain to complicate the peace process, since any deal is expected to entail swaps of land currently populated by Jewish settlers in exchange for territory Palestinians claim as their state. The Knesset is aiming to enshrine the results of such referendums in Israel’s Basic Laws, the equivalent of a constitution, which means they would be immune from legal challenge in Israeli courts. __________________________________________________ PERIÓDICO: The Wall Street Journal (UK) AUTOR: Nicholas Casey IMAGEM: retirada da matéria DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO: 13/03/2014
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:46:04 +0000
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