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The ministerial committee headed by Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri of Yesh Atid, to create a more equitable military draft system yesterday presented its recommendations for cabinet and Knesset approval.

The reform of military enlistment was a major issue in the election campaign and a commitment to change the status quo formed part of the coalition agreement which saw Yesh Atid join the government. As a result, Peri’s committee has been deliberating over the issue for several weeks.

The major reform being proposed by the committee is to allow full-time ultra-Orthodox seminary students to defer service between ages 18-21, after which they will be required to enlist in either the IDF or civilian national service. Failure to do so will result in imprisonment. 1,800 outstanding students each year will remain exempted entirely from service, leaving an estimated 6,200 required to enlist. The enlistment plan is slated for full implementation in 2017, with recruitment targets being set in the interim period.

Another significant recommendation will see religious seminaries which receive state funding and register their students for initial deferment required to introduce vocational training into their curriculum. The committee also proposes shortening military service for males from 36 to 32 months while extending service for females from 24 to 28 months. The plan further suggests a target of 6,000 Arab recruits annually for civilian national service programmes, five years after the enactment of the law.

The Peri committee’s recommendations will be discussed in cabinet on Sunday and if approved, will be submitted to Knesset for review. The proposals appear to have won the support of Jewish Home, with YNet reporting that party leader Naftali Bennett called it a “historic compromise.” However, Yisrael Beitenu is pledging opposition to the proposals on the grounds that it does not sufficiently mandate the enlistment of Arab citizens to civilian service.