During a session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussing the new draft law, Likud MK Moshe Saada said that the arrests of Bnei Torah are illegal.
Saada sharply criticized the conduct of law enforcement authorities: “I feel like we’re living in an era of gezeiros shmad. What is this? The committee chairman, MK Boaz Bismuth, must call for an immediate halt to this practice. First of all, it’s illegal and unequal—either you arrest all 80,000 yeshiva bochurim, which I personally think is inappropriate, or arrest none. You can’t randomly decide who to arrest and who not to. That’s unacceptable.”
The MK also addressed the issue of oversight of yeshiva students’ attendance. “In my view, there should be real supervision—but not biometric. Biometric monitoring is degrading. What’s appropriate for a state employee should also apply to a yeshiva bochur: attendance, yes; biometric tracking, no.”
Saada also voiced strong opposition to imposing sanctions on Bnei Torah. “I support revoking the sanctions. In my view, the right approach is to honor those who serve and provide benefits for them. The current sanctions are legally flawed. You can’t restrict a person from leaving the country; that’s a violation of personal freedom.
“I call on all the members of Knesset here—let’s rise above our political positions. Think about what’s right for the army and what’s right for Chareidi youth. Not sanctions, not arrests. It’s wrong legally, judicially, and practically.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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One Response
why is biometrics degrading. The goal of the yeshivos should be convincing Israeli public that Torah learners are genuine. What could be better than biometric statistics showing that bochurim shteig 16 hours a day without vacations?