The full text of a proposed law aimed at suspending the arrests of bnei yeshiva for avoiding the army has been revealed, outlining a dramatic compromise that would temporarily halt criminal proceedings against thousands of bnei yeshivah while imposing unprecedented oversight and enforcement measures on yeshivos.

Under the proposed legislation, thousands of bnei yeshivah whose legal status expired following the lapse of the previous draft law would receive retroactive legal relief. At the same time, the bill would establish an extensive monitoring system designed to ensure compliance within the yeshivah world.

The proposal calls for a temporary 90-day emergency measure during which no arrests or criminal investigations would be carried out against eligible military-age individuals who failed to report for induction, provided they take steps to regularize their status within the time frame established by the law.

A key feature of the plan is the creation of a special three-member military committee that would review individual applications. The panel would be headed by an officer holding the rank of major general, appointed by the Military Advocate General, and would also include the deputy head of the IDF Personnel Directorate. Eligible applicants would be required to submit their requests within 30 days of the law taking effect.

To qualify for protection under the law, a bochur would have to submit an application accompanied by a sworn affidavit from his rosh yeshivah, confirming that he had been learning consistently beginning on July 1, 2023, or from the date his military obligation took effect. While the committee reviews the application, no indictments for draft evasion or failure to report could be filed, ongoing criminal proceedings would be suspended, and enforcement of existing court rulings would be frozen.

If the committee determines that the applicant met the required learning standards, all criminal proceedings against him would be formally dismissed. The proposal is intended to resolve the legal uncertainty surrounding thousands of bnei yeshivah whose exemptions expired but who maintain that they continued learning uninterrupted.

The relief offered by the bill is coupled with significantly stricter eligibility requirements. To qualify as a recognized talmid yeshivah, an individual would be required to maintain a schedule of at least 45 hours of weekly Torah study in a yeshivah, or 40 hours per week in a kollel. The proposal also bars participants from engaging in any employment or outside occupation while claiming that status.

Both the talmid and the rosh yeshivah would be required to sign legally binding affidavits under Israel’s Evidence Ordinance. In addition, every rosh yeshivah would be obligated to notify the IDF by the 14th of each month regarding any student who no longer meets the eligibility requirements. The provision would place ongoing responsibility on yeshivah administrations not only to certify enrollment initially, but also to monitor attendance and compliance continuously.

Perhaps the most far-reaching provision in the draft legislation concerns oversight of the yeshivos themselves. Authorized inspectors would be required to conduct physical attendance audits at every recognized yeshivah at least once every three months, while the defense minister would be obligated to submit quarterly reports detailing the inspection results to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

According to the proposal, if inspectors determine that at least 20 percent of a yeshivah’s students are repeatedly absent, the institution would first receive a formal warning. If the problem persists, the yeshivah would be removed from the Defense Ministry’s list of recognized institutions. Such a move could automatically revoke the draft deferments of all its students, forcing them either to transfer to another approved yeshivah or become subject to military service.

The legislation also requires Israel’s Education Ministry to provide the IDF with information on graduates of chareidi educational institutions, enabling the military to more accurately measure annual enlistment targets instead of relying solely on reports submitted by the yeshivos.

Deliberations on the draft law are expected to begin Tuesday and continue over the following two weeks as lawmakers seek to advance the measure toward final approval in the Knesset. The proposal already faces legal opposition, with critics arguing that the temporary freeze on arrests could face significant challenges before Israel’s High Court of Justice.

{Matzav.com}