Comments on: Stormy Protest at Kikar Shabbos Against Imprisonment of Yeshiva Bochur http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/204698/stormy-protest-at-kikar-shabbos-against-imprisonment-of-yeshiva-bochur.html Fri, 24 Jul 2015 22:49:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.9 By: akuperma http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/204698/stormy-protest-at-kikar-shabbos-against-imprisonment-of-yeshiva-bochur.html#comment-421412 Fri, 06 Dec 2013 15:14:12 +0000 http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=204698#comment-421412 It is unlikely that mere protests will be effective. More open civil disobedience, and perhaps more direct action (“monkey wrenching” things, including by hareidim currently in the IDF) might get notices. More effecting would be threatening to ally with the opponents of the government (e.g. agreeing to support the zionist left’s goal of territorial concessions in return for an end to conscription, and if that doesn’t work, offering to support the Arab’s demand for a return to the pre-1914 status quo with a ban on conscription and legal autonomy for the hareidim).

It is clear that conscription of hareidim is not motivated by a desire to improve the IDF’s ability to defend the country, and in fact non-zionist hareidi soldiers will probably weaken the army. An end to conscription and a switch to a professional/volunteer army (as has been done by most western countries) is a realistic demand and would be welcomed by many Israelis, as would a policy of allowing anyone to state they have a religious or moral objection to military service (with economic incentives for those who do wish to serve).

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