A bill to exempt young women from military service in the Israeli armed forces was introduced in Parliament today by Dr. Zorach Warhaftig and Moshe Unna, deputies of the National Religious Party.
The measure proposes that instead of the present two years of service in military formations, unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 26 be required to give national service in the fields of health and education.
The measure is expected to touch off a heated controversy when it is debated at the end of the month, with Premier David Ben Gurion undoubtedly leading off the attack. The problem of military service for young women has been a touchy one in the past, when, because the religious bloc was in the governing coalition, a compromise was effected permitting religious women to substitute service in religious settlements for military duties.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
