The Government will set up an official inquiry committee to study the entire problem of military service for women, including complaints that there is misuse of claims of religiosity to evade service, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announced today.
He made the announcement in Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in opposing a motion by Agudat. Israel that the Knesset debate a proposal to abolish military service for women entirely. He also opposed a General Zionist proposal that military service for women be cut in half to one year, contending that Israel’s security situation made continued military service by women necessary.
The Prime Minister used the debate as an opportunity for a sharp attack on the “growing number of those women shirking military service.” He disputed the Orthodox claim that all religious authorities forbid girls from such service.
The Agudah opposition included arguments that military service damaged family life, that the birth rate was lower among girls in service than among Orthodox girls who are exempted and that the Arab countries might follow Israel’s example and also conscript women. The Prime Minister replied jokingly that if it were true that military service reduced the birth rate, it might not be a bad idea if the Arabs began conscripting women.
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