Kesher Talk

Speaking of Israeli birth-rates: They're part of an interesting policy dispute today. Under a program designed to boost the birthrate, all Israeli families have received payments from the government on a scale that ranges from $34 for each of their first two children to $172 for the sixth and each subsequent child.

A new law will cut those benefits as part of belt-tightening measures being undertaken because of an economic downturn prompted by the 21-month-old Palestinian uprising.

But the cuts will be far deeper — 36 percent compared with 16 percent — for parents who have not served in the army or security services. In a country where Arabs are exempt from the military service required of all Israeli Jews, the Arabs believe the provision was designed deliberately to reduce their benefits disproportionately. The law will also hurt ultrareligious Jews, who traditionally have large families but whose sons are exempted from military service if they attend yeshiva seminaries.

So the ultrareligious Shas party, part of the governing coalition, wants to amend the law so that families could claim the larger benefit for their children if even an uncle or grandfather had served in the military.

And a coalition of Arab members of the Israeli Knesset, mayors of Israeli Arab cities, Arab human rights groups and a left-wing Israeli political party are asking the Supreme Court tomorrow to declare the new law illegal on grounds that it breaches anti-discrimination provisions in the Israeli constitution.

In the face of criticism and legal action, Israel's government says it will not implement the legislation until the court has ruled. Its own legal adviser, Elyakim Rubenstein, has said he is not confident the measure can be defended

posted by Howard @ 6/12/2002 11:09:06 AM