Major benefits for soldiers: Bennett unveils ‘flagship’ law as he gears up for election |
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett on Monday announced a proposed benefits package for soldiers and reservists in response to the government’s ongoing attempt to pass a draft exemption bill for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, dubbing it the “servicemembers’ law.”
“From today, those who serve are at the top, and those who choose to evade service are at the bottom,” said Bennett in a video statement.
Bennett, who is no longer in the Knesset but is seeking to reenter the political arena with a newly registered party, is widely viewed as the strongest potential challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this year’s election.
“This will be the flagship law of the next government,” he said, adding that anyone who seeks to join his government must support his proposed law.
For the past year and a half, the Haredi leadership has pushed for a law keeping its constituency out of the Israel Defense Forces, after the High Court ruled that decades-long blanket exemptions from army duty traditionally afforded to full-time Haredi yeshiva students were illegal.
Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The IDF has said it urgently