Ya'alon presents 'Tal Law' replacement to Kadima MKs

MK Schneller plans to rebel against party line and support Vice Premier's outline; MK Hasson: Proposal is a fraud, won't bring equality.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon 370 (photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon 370
(photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)
Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon presented his proposal to replace the "Tal Law" to six Kadima MKs on Friday, leading at least one – MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) – to announce plans to rebel against the party in support of Ya'alon.
The meeting was initiated by MK Avi Dichter, who vocally opposed Kadima's departure from the coalition last Tuesday. He was joined by like-minded MKs Schneller and Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, who voted against the move, as well as Kadima lawmakers Yisrael Hasson, Yaakov Ederi and Doron Avital.
The six met with Ya'alon in order to hear his proposal, which he plans to present to other ministers on Sunday, in person. The Vice Premier's outline is not expected to be brought to a vote during the Knesset's summer session, which ends on Wednesday.
"The outline presented was balanced and good, and when the time comes, I plan to support the bill, even though it goes against Kadima's decision," Schneller said following the meeting.
According to Schneller, Kadima's entry in the coalition was "a fraudulent move" and that party leader Shaul Mofaz did not intend to find a replacement for the Tal Law, which allowed yeshiva students to postpone IDF service indefinitely, unless the new bill was exactly as Mofaz thought it should be.
If Mofaz honestly wanted equality in the burden of national service, the Kadima MK added, he would have been more flexible and behaved responsibly, rather than "playing political waiting games" and preventing new legislation.
Hasson and Avital had the opposite reaction, supporting Mofaz's move to reject Ya'alon's outline.
"I went to this meeting to hear Ya'alon's proposal in an unmediated fashion, and found that from beginning to end, this outline is a fraud, a trick and a word game and does not aim for service for all, personal responsibility and equality in society," Hasson said.
The Kadima MK said Ya'alon is trying to trick the Israeli public, and Kadima made the right decision in leaving the coalition.
A Likud source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that, according to Ya’alon’s outline, haredim will receive incentives to enlist in the IDF between the ages of 18 and 22.
Those who do not will be required to do civilian service by age 26 for the police, Prisons Service, Magen David Adom or Fire and Rescue Services.
There will be sanctions against those who do not perform military or civilian service, as well as their yeshivot. The state will take yeshiva students’ biometric IDs to keep track of whether anyone is shirking their duties.
The goal of Ya’alon’s outline is for 6,000 yeshiva students to enlist each year by 2016. Currently, 2,400 enlist in the IDF or perform civilian service annually.