MK Elazar Stern
MK Elazar SternMiriam Alster, Flash 90

MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) said on Monday that the current version of the Draft Law includes criminal sanctions just like the one his own party had presented earlier.

The current version was drafted by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu). Yesh Atid's version of the law was rejected by the haredi parties.

"In our law, we didn't use the words, 'criminal sanctions,'" Stern told Kol Barama Radio. "That's a lie. In this law as well, it doesn't say that. Both laws say that if haredi enlistment does not meet the targets, the Israel Defense Service Law would be applied instead."

"This law is in essence criminal sanctions. If you don't enlist, that's a criminal offense, and that's true for both laws. If the previous law included criminal sanctions, this one does, too."

Stern also said that he believes the current version is worse for the haredi public than his party's bill.

"In this law, they went further and added economic sanctions, which in Yesh Atid's bill were not necessary," he said. "In our law, we allowed 1,800 outstanding students to receive exemptions, and this law does not include that. I think this law is harsher on the haredim."