Likud MK Amit Halevi was interviewed Monday morning on Udi Segal and Anat Davidov's program on 103FM radio and commented on the current haredi draft law drama.
Halevi hurled harsh criticism at the Supreme Court and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, claiming that this is an issue that these two bodies should not be dealing with at all.
"I was still here when the Knesset enacted time and time again this and other amendments to the draft law. Bottom line, the authority was taken from us, the court invalidated this law and arrangement multiple times," Halevi said at the beginning of his remarks.
He then clarified his position on the matter, "This does not mean that I accept that people do not serve in the army. We must honestly say to the public, that not only should the ultra-Orthodox serve in the army, but but so should the Arabs, who for almost four generations have become accustomed to the obscene habit of not participating in the moral, civil, and Torah duty of serving in the IDF. That is why we need to change this as quickly as possible to bring actual results."
According to Halevi, "The proposals in the past were proposals that said 'let's understand the ultra-Orthodox, and we will make processes, but in the end, they will lead to a deeper integration into society.' I think everyone who studies Torah or studied Torah in the past knows that this is perhaps the most important mitzvah; protecting the Jewish people."
Halevi's transparency and his open criticism of the government
Halevi continued to emphasize that "This matter requires correction, and yet these two issues, even if you avoid them elegantly, will not pass - even when previous governments [tried fixing this], the Supreme Court invalidated different arrangements time and time again. We need to deal with this issue, and it will probably take some time, but there is no doubt that the end result should be that every citizen of the State of Israel, including the Arab public, should be drafted."
When asked whether the intervention of the attorney general and the Supreme Court in the matter was a mistake, Halevi answered decisively, "The Supreme Court's intervention over the years in this matter is misplaced intervention and a lack of authority. This is our social, public matter and the Knesset should decide on this. The attorney-general overstepped here. In a terrible irony, but it must be said, maybe if the ultra-Orthodox had supported terrorism a little, she wouldn't have dared to cut their budgets."