An ultra-Orthodox 18-year-old male who has reached enlistment age and ditches his first IDF summons would be legally considered a draft dodger in the eyes of the law, the committee responsible for fleshing out haredi-enlistment reform has determined. The Peri committee -- headed by and named after Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) -- was due to resume discussions on Monday over updating the now defunct Tal Law, which had for years permitted haredi men to defer army service so that they could continue their studies at ultra-Orthodox institutions. The Peri committee proposal would mean punitive measures for "deserters." Among the punishments, draft dodgers would be slapped with economic sanctions, a hold-departure order, and denied national insurance stipends. Since its inception, the committee has been incrementally releasing the details of its haredi-enlistment reform, including measures like fines for individuals and learning institutions, and the speed at which full haredi enlistment will be introduced into the extremely religious and army-apprehensive community. On Monday, the Prime Minister's Office will host the committee, which this week was expected to discuss providing financial incentives to haredi institutions that encourage their students to join the IDF, as well as providing incentives for haredim who adhere to their summons and head to inductions centers of their own volition. The Peri committee was also expected to discuss punitive measures against draft dodgers and institutions such as yeshivas that promote draft dodging. According to the Peri committee program, all ultra-Orthodox men who have not received military exemptions -- i.e. prodigious Torah scholars -- would have to report to their local induction center. There, it would be determined whether the individual was fit for military or civil service. Any haredi man who fails to show up at the induction center after receiving his summons would be a draft dodger in the eyes of the law. As a result of the Peri committee's reforms, all 18-year-old Israeli, Jewish males will be subject to the same induction law. Already, the haredi community has responded in a show of force. Last Thursday night, a Jerusalem demonstration organized by the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox Eda Haredit organization swelled to 30,000 participants from different haredi sectors. While organizers had called for a peaceful protest, some demonstrators ended up clashing with police. Eight officers were wounded. Counter-protesters who arrived on the scene were accosted and threatened. While taking a hard line, it appeared that the Peri committee was not trying to pass legislation that would see extensive raids of haredi neighborhoods, or an aggressive military police campaign to capture and incarcerate draft dodging haredim. The point of the reform was apparently to punish draft dodgers by denying them their governmental and financial benefits, and by restricting their movement. As part of its incentives package, the Peri committee has proposed awarding a generous budget to haredi institutions that encourage enlistment. The Economy and Trade Ministry -- headed by Habayit Hayehudi Chairman and putative supporter of haredi-enlistment reform Naftali Bennett -- will manage the mandatory volunteer program for haredim who are not suitable for IDF service. The Economy and Trade Ministry would permit haredim who officially enter the workforce to complete fewer per-week hours of civil service -- such as 30 instead of 45, though the actual number has not yet been announced. National Economic Council Chairman and Economic Adviser Professor Eugene Kandel -- who penned the enlistment-reform proposal that Likud-Beyteynu's coalition negotiators presented during talks to form the current government -- was scheduled to sit in on Monday's Peri committee meeting.
The Peri committee was seeking to flesh out an overarching law that would cover the enlistment process, rather than temporary orders aimed at targeting individual draft dodgers. So-called "deserters" would no longer be eligible for a property tax discount, and would lose their student's status and, subsequently, the associated financial benefits.
