חוק שירות ביטחון (תיקון מס' 26 – הוראת שעה – חרבות ברזל), התשפ"ד-2024Law on Security Service (Amendment No. 26 - temporary provision - Iron Swords), 2024 · automatic translation · suggest a correction

Official summary of the law (Knesset)

Section 36A of the Security Service Law [Consolidated Version], 1986, establishes an arrangement for exemption from service in the Israel Defense Forces due to age, such that an Israeli citizen or permanent resident who is not an officer and has reached the age of 40, or an officer who has reached the age of 45, shall be exempt from the duty of security service. In addition, it is provided that the Minister of Defense may determine, by order, with the approval of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, professions or positions for which the exemption will be granted only at the age of 49; and if the person has reached the age of 40 or 45, as applicable, he will be called for reserve duty only in his position or profession. Such an order shall be given for a period not exceeding three years, and may be extended for additional periods not exceeding three years each time. As part of Amendment No. 26, due to the Swords of Iron War, it was decided that during the period from 1 March 2024 to 30 June 2024, the exemption age would be raised so that instead of 40 it would be 41, and for an officer, instead of 45 it would be 46. It was also determined that under such an order the exemption age would be 50, while from the age of 45 or 46, as applicable, a person could be called up only to his position or profession. In addition, such a call-up for reserve duty shall be made only for positions in the combat formation, unless emergency circumstances arise in which state security requires calling up also those who do not serve in the combat formation. It was further determined that a reservist who performed reserve service under this law shall be entitled to special remuneration from the first day until the 31st day of his service performed during the period from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024, without being liable for income tax on the remuneration. In addition, a reporting obligation was established for the Minister of Defense to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the beginning of each month regarding the preceding month, concerning reserve service, starting from 1 April 2024, including the number of reservists called up for such service, the number of reserve-service exemption orders issued by the Minister of Defense, and the alternatives examined for reducing the burden on reservists and the measures taken.

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What was said in the plenum

The law extends, as a temporary provision, the exemption age from reserve duty service by one year (for example from 40 to 41) in order to enable the continued service of reservists required for the war effort in Gaza, after the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee shortened the duration of the provision to four months and set additional compensation for those serving. The discussion focused on the question of equality in burden-sharing - with the opposition arguing that an additional burden cannot be placed on reserve soldiers while the ultra-Orthodox public is exempt from service, and coalition representatives presented the security need for the extension.

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An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. A very long debate: every speech was shortened to the same length before summarising. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2

Reservations to the second reading

13 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.

The reservations were intended to make the extension of the exemption age from service and the raising of the age limits for reserve duty conditional on various conditions relating to the state of the war or to the enactment of equal conscription legislation and meeting conscription quotas, as well as to add compensation, benefits, and oversight and reporting mechanisms for the benefit of reservists and yeshiva students.

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By faction

• Yisrael Beytenu opposition · 8 reservations · 6 members
• Yesh Atid opposition · 5 reservations · 24 members

A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.

Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF)