As coalition collapses around him, Netanyahu revives Haredi draft exemption bill |
The coalition’s ultra-Orthodox draft exemption bill has been placed back on the parliamentary agenda for Wednesday, with a discussion planned in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to prepare the controversial legislation for the final two readings needed for it to pass into law.
A separate discussion will also be held on a bill to extend the length of service for regular Israel Defense Forces conscripts.
The announcement came shortly after Haredi political sources told the press that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office offered to resume discussions in the committee in an effort to postpone elections until October, while the Haredim want a September date, during the High Holidays.
Netanyahu’s suggestion was rejected by the ultra-Orthodox, with Degel HaTorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando telling lawmakers “not to get drawn into political games and to support the dissolution of the Knesset this coming Wednesday.”
The move to resume deliberations on the bill also sparked harsh criticism from the anti-Netanyahu bloc, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid denouncing it as an attempt “to sell out Israel’s security” in order “to gain a few more days in the Prime Minister’s Office.”
Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot similarly dismissed “another desperate attempt” by the premier “to buy himself a few more weeks in power at the expense of the national interest of strengthening the IDF during a war.”
The Haredim decided to push for the dissolution of the Knesset last week after Netanyahu informed them that his coalition does not have a majority to pass the controversial bill in the current Knesset, and suggested waiting until after the 2026 elections. They further rejected Netanyahu’s proposal allowing work on the bill to continue in the next Knesset under a proposed amendment to the Law of........