Yahadut Hatorah MK Moshe Gafne is confident his Affirmative Action Bill for chareidim will pass. He spent Tuesday 28 Cheshvan fighting to gain the necessary support among coalition members. The objections of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked compelled some revisions but he announced proudly it is not a done deal. He clarified and preferred to explain Shaked is not objecting, but simply asked for revisions in the Ministerial Law Committee and the bill was modified.
Gafne added “This is a very interesting phenomenon that must always be taken it into account when you have achievements. When was affirmative action for Arabs, Druse, Circassians, women, people with disabilities, Ethiopians – it passed. When it comes to chareidim however, legal advisors, both men and women on the committee, exhibit resistance to the matter for chareidim. This will not occur”.
Gafne was adamant, insisting the chareidim deserve the affirmative action as do the others and he will not permit this to be pushed aside. He feels opposition is part of the cultural war against chareidim, not just opposition to the plan.
Gafne made his position loud and clear, that this is a deal-breaker and he is ready to blow apart the coalition if compelled to do so. He stated if this is not passed in Knesset, he and his colleagues will not back the coalition on other matters and they will not pass.
This bill will open many doors of employment for chareidim if it passes, including government jobs, which by and large have been closed to chareidim in the past.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Anything that increases the likelihood that men and women within the Chareidi tzibur will obtain employment and join the workforce is progress, even if it means some short term policy compromises. The issue of Chareidim being left out of the workforce and imposing greater welfare burdens on the Israeli economy has been identified in recent reports by the Bank of Israel as a “time bomb” that must be dealt with and is an existential threat to the medinah.