The cabinet Sunday voted unanimously to create a national service program for youth who do not serve in the army. The resolution will mainly affect Arabs, who are not drafted, as well as ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students whose religious studies exempt them from military service.

The national service administration will fall under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office, in a move intended to dispel fears in Haredi circles that the program would be managed by the Israel Defense Forces or the Defense Ministry. An initial NIS 5 million allocation was approved for the program. Still lacking is a regular budget for the operation of the program or for the government benefits to which participants will be entitled upon completion of service.

In the first stage, about 500 participants will take part in the one-year program each year, working in their home communities. They will work in hospitals, aid in preventing traffic accidents, promote environmental awareness and act as health aides to the elderly, among other activities.