Defense Minister Ehud Barak called for a new law to replace the
controversial Tal Law, and new provisions that would provide free higher
education to those who serve in the IDF.
Barak said that the government should extend the Tal Law should only by one year, as opposed to Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu's proposition to extend it five years, in order to allot a
period of time in which to revise the law.
The defense minister proposed allowing a quota of somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000
ultra-religious citizens that can continue their studies instead of
mandatory conscription, as per the Tal Law. The rest would be required
to serve in the army.
Barak joined critical voices throughout
the government opposing the law, including Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee chair Shaul Mofaz (Kadima). Mofaz last week called the Tal Law a "failure," arguing that it has turned the "people's army" into "half the people's army."
Hundreds
of students are expected to protest the Tal Law on Sunday between 9:00
and 10:30 a.m., Army Radio reported. Students sent a letter to the prime
minister Saturday, demanding that the government draft a law the treats
conscription as "equal to all citizens of Israel."
Dozens of protesters gathered Saturday night at the Arlozorof train station in Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the Tal Law.
Executive Director of the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization Gil Simenhois visited the the mock military "Camp Sucker" to show solidarity with the struggle.
The Tal Law affords those studying full-time in a yeshiva the option of deferring their military service until they are 22. Once they reach that age, they can perform a year of vocational training, and then decide whether to join the army for a minimum of 16 months followed by annual reserve duty, or to perform a year of civilian service. After that point, they are legally free to join the work force.
The encampment is somewhat reminiscent of the protest tents set up over the summer across the country, with booths set up by different NGOs, activists milling around talking to journalists, and the occasional passing car honking its approval or disdain. Activists said Thursday that the encampment would remain open until
Sunday morning, and that an assortment of public figures would make
appearances.