The decision of the Israeli Lands Authority, under the directive of the Government Legal Advisor and her 'subordinates', the High Court, to deny the chareidi public its rights to "government lotteries for apartments of reduced price" is an unprecedented decision, perhaps the very first one of its kind in the annals of the history of the State of Israel. A state in whose Founding Document is written clearly, black on parchment, that it will provide complete equal social and political rights to all of its citizens without discrimination of religion, creed or gender, has decided to officially and arbitrarily convert itself into a totalitarian dictatorship which categorizes its citizens' rights according to their social standing.
If this derogatory decision had included denying rights to Arabs — who despise the government — from the same lottery, it would have raised a huge hue and cry from one end of the world to the other.
But the Lands Authority was careful not to include Arabs in this decision. Therefore, the legal text which intends to deny this right to Torah students, states that it is intended against "citizens required to serve army duty who have not duly reported and arranged their legal status with the military authorities." The text does not mention those who did not serve in the army but states "citizens who are obligated to report and be mobilized," and Arabs, as is known, are not "citizens required to be drafted." This way, Arabs have no problem of being included in such a government lottery.
The legal advisors of the Lands Authority were very precise in the wording of the decision so as not to, G-d forfend, insult Arabs or other conscientious draft 'evaders' or evaders for other reasons, but solely worded it to exclude only Torah scholars, exclusively and absolutely.
This paves the way, and we expect that the exclusion of chareidim from other areas is merely a matter of time. Will they require Torah scholars to wear a symbolic patch on their clothing so that they can be easily recognized? Who knows? Perhaps this, too, is in the offing.
And if someone were to argue that it is inconceivable, it is probable that such a 'someone' said this in the past as well, when the possibility was raised that the State of Israel would trample upon a basic right written in its founding document and tailor its obligation to maintain equal social rights to all of its citizens, those who are confined within its borders with no possibility of leaving the country and who are required nonetheless to pay Draconian taxes like the rest of its citizens.
