Headline of the Day

How to Get Out of the IDF? Run for Public Office

  -- Yeshiva World News

the original article is actually from Israel Hayom, but the headline is not as good..

basically the law is that anyone in the army who is running for public office, whether in national or municipal elections, can get out of his army service. And this is true even if he is placed on a party list so far down that the candidacy is unrealistic.
Someone who is a career officer would get an exemption and would no longer have to serve at all. Someone who is in his compulsory service would get a a deferral of service. Someone who is a career officer would get an immediate discharge.

On the one hand, many soldiers could use this to get a break from service. This might be popular especially in years like this one when elections are right after the holidays - a soldier could get himself listed on a party list and get a couple months vacation coinciding with the holidays. On the other hand, it is only a short respite, unless the candidate actually wins and gets into municipal government, so it seems to not be worth the bother - the army people are quoted as saying there have been no fraudulent requests.

Yet, the bigger problem, it seems from the Israel Hayom article, is soldiers using it to get out of their commitments as career soldiers. I would think we would see haredi party lists suddenly balloon to include hundreds of candidates, but it is the career guys that are the bigger problem. And we do not see the haredi parties allowing their party lists to be used or abused in this way...

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