Knesset Legal Counsel: Freezing Arrests of Deserters? It's Illegal
The legal counsel of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee issued an opinion against the bill seeking to freeze criminal proceedings and arrests against Haredi deserters.
Assessment
The legal adviser to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has ruled that a proposal to freeze criminal proceedings and arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders is unlawful. This sets up a direct clash between a parliamentary initiative aimed at temporarily shielding evaders and the legal establishment's position that such a freeze lacks statutory basis. The coming legislative debate will test whether the coalition can override this legal objection.