Equality of Burden

The Government decision has adopted a new plan for sharing the military and economic burden, and in doing so has changed the previous long term policy towards the Jewish Ultra-Religious (Haredi) sector and towards religious minorities in Israel in terms of military service, national-civil service and participation in the work force. The decision focuses on the integration of the Haredi population in military and national service, and the integration of other religious minorities in national service. In addition, the decision covers the integration of these sectors in the work force, an increased participation of disabled people in national service, and the integration of religious women in the IDF.

Substantial parts of the decision have been implemented, including occupational training for the Haredi and Arab populations, increasing the number of religious women in the IDF, and increasing the quotas for disabled people in national service. Despite the aforesaid, the replacement of governments and the change in policy implemented by the coalition of the 34th Government, took the sting out of the Program to enlist Haredi soldiers in the army, by cancelling two of the decision's most significant clauses: Imposing financial sanctions on Orthodox Jewish educational institutions that fail to meet the army's enlisting targets and supervising the presence of Yeshiva students in these institutions.