The proposal would require the security forces to accept messages using other methods in addition to the telephone, such as text messages (SMS) and email.
The proposal comes in light of the supposed failure of the police hotline (100), by which one of the kidnapped boys supposedly called to report being kidnapped but couldn't talk or give details, and the police ignored the call for many hours.
There are situations where a person in danger cannot talk - such as a kidnapping, or someone hiding from an intruder, or even people with disabilities that cannot use the telephone such as deaf people. Allowing them to contact the security forces by SMS or other methods, will allow such people in danger and need to be in contact with security and emergency forces and actually give details they might not be able to verbally.
sources: Ynet and Ladaat
Ironically enough, the public these MKs represent will, for the most part, not even benefit from this law. The haredi public generally does not have smartphones, does not have SMS or email, and will not be able to send such emergency messages, though there are plenty who do and will also benefit from it.
Kol hakavod to these MKs for proposing a law that largely benefits the general public and not specifically their own sector.
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Maybe the UTJ MKs are proposing this as a back-door to get the hareidi ban on internet and sms-enabled phones relaxed?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of non-compliance in the hareidi street with the ban which is promoted by the "Gedolim" - and this is undermining the leadership structure.
Once there is a pikuach nefesh reason to HAVE sms and internet on phones, then the Gedolim have a way down their increasingly unrealistic tree.