Shas weekly criticizes MK who didn't serve in IDF

'Yom Leyom' says 4 out of 15 Yisrael Beiteinu MK's did not serve, yet support new legislation to draft haredim to national service.

By JEREMY SHARON
Haredi combat soldiers 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Haredi combat soldiers 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
An article in the Shas weekly newspaper Yom Leyom took aim at several non-haredi MKs for supporting new legislation to draft haredim into national service who themselves either did not serve or served in non-combat roles.
The article, written by journalist Avi Rozen, pointed out that four out of the 15 Yisrael Beytenu MKs did not serve and questioned the service of several others.
“This party and its members preach morality when they themselves didn’t perform significant service or contribute significantly to the state,” wrote Rozen.
The four MKs, all women, are Sofa Landver, Anastasia Michaeli, Faina Kirshenbaum and Lea Shemtov.
In addition the Yom Leyom article questioned why Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov ended his army service at the rank of private and party leader Avigdor Liberman finished as a corporal, when a soldier serving the statutory three years usually ends up with a rank of staff sergeant.
Rozen did acknowledge however that other members of Yisrael Beytenu served in the IDF for extended periods, achieving senior ranks in the various branches of the army.
A spokesman for Yisrael Beytenu called the accusations “a distraction” from the issues at hand.
“Trying to rank individuals’ service on some arbitrary measure of importance is immoral and a complete distraction from the issue,” party director of communications Ashley Perry said.
“The central issue is that every Israeli should equally contribute to the national burden. We don’t say what the service should be just that everyone should serve, and we call on all Israelis to demand from all Zionist parties to finally pass a law which says one simple thing.
“All Israelis regardless of background should serve their country at the age of 18.
Anything else is merely excuses, gimmicks and distractions.”
Perry added that Yisrael Beytenu is the only party to have presented a bill addressing this matter and criticized the fact that only 20 out of 120 MKs voted in favor when it was brought to a vote in the Knesset.
“Yisrael Beytenu brought this issue to the national agenda and we wrote our bill before the Tal Law was even struck down by the High Court of Justice.
“The basic principle should be that whoever contributes the most benefits the most.
Those who want to carry on in an unequal manner can do so, but they cannot expect an equal share of the benefits the state provides to those who contribute.”
In his article, Rozen also attacked Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz for his service in Army Radio, and called Meretz in general “the party of jobnikim [soldiers doing desk jobs].”
He added that eight out of 10 Shas MKs served in the army pointing to their “significant” service in combat and intelligence roles.