Attorney Miri Frankel-Shor, the legal advisor to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, published an opinion this evening (Monday) against the bill to freeze the arrests of yeshiva students defined as 'deserters', which is being promoted by Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri.
The proposal, which is being rapidly advanced following an appeal by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox and with the support of Defense Minister Israel Katz, seeks to establish a temporary order that will prevent the arrest of Torah students who meet conditions to be defined by law.
In the opinion, Frankel Schor writes that a clause that allows the status of yeshiva students to be regulated through recognition of Torah study could result in a MLSHAB whose status has already been reviewed and rejected once again benefiting from a deferment of service.
According to her, this is an "amnesty clause" that seeks to regulate the status of intelligence officers who are currently defined as deserters or draft evaders.
The committee's statement also emphasizes that the proposed arrangement legitimizes future intelligence officers to not comply with the provisions of the Security Service Law, thereby providing them with immunity in advance and providing protection from criminal proceedings.
The opinion also states that the combined reading of the proposal's clauses creates a gap between its stated goal - to establish a temporary arrangement to freeze arrests - and its actual result. "The bill does not seek to temporarily freeze arrests, but rather attempts to create a bypass intended to obviate the need for a comprehensive legislative arrangement to regulate the status of yeshiva students.".
