The Ministerial Committee on Legislation gave its stamp of approval Monday to a bill that would prevent young women from gaining exemption from military service by the standards that previously sufficed to show that they are religiously observant. The bill would require women to show formal proof that they studied at a religious school before gaining exemption.
Women are obliged to serve in the Israeli military but can gain exemption if they are married, pregnant or if they state that they keep kosher and refrain from driving on Shabbat. The Chief Rabbinate, from its inception, is against army service for all Jewish girls, due to issues related to modesty and other halakhic problems. Since there are enough men to fill the needs of the IDF in recent years, there is no emergency warranting abrogating halakha, they ruled.
In order for girls to serve their country, alternative frameworks were formed, and they advise girls to serve Israel through National Service programs where they are doing vital educational and welfare work. There are national service frameworks for secular girls as well as the religiously observant.
Religious parties have traditionally favored allowing women to gain exemption from military service, even if the women are not religious, because of the above ruling's reasoning. Shas has said it would oppose the bill in its present form because it would force traditional girls who observe Shabbat and kosher dietary laws, but did not study in a religious school, to serve in the army.
IDF Radio reported that 35 percent of military-age women gained exemption on grounds of religion last year.
A similar law was considered by the government last year but was rejected after MK Moshe Gafni of the hareidi-religious United Torah Judaism threatened to bolt the coalition. Gafni said the bill was a breach of the status quo regarding religious matters.
The law will still have to be voted on in three readings by the Knesset, although its chances of success are greatly enhanced by the committee's approval, the religious coalition parties will probably not support it.