Edelstein Pulls the Plug on Draft Law Amid Chareidi Coalition Fallout

After weeks of mounting tension and political wrangling, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yoel (Yuli) Edelstein has reportedly decided to shelve the controversial draft law that became a flashpoint between him and the chareidi parties, Matzav.com has learned tonight.

Edelstein, who has been blamed for the collapse of negotiations surrounding the proposed legislation, stunned the chareidi leadership earlier this week when he submitted a version of the bill that diverged significantly from what had been previously agreed upon. The unexpected changes triggered an immediate backlash and led to the chareidi factions’ withdrawal from the coalition, following the guidance of leading rabbinic authorities.

According to sources, Edelstein has now concluded that without the support of the chareidi parties, the legislation has no chance of passing, and therefore he has opted not to bring it before the full Knesset for a vote.

The bill, which Edelstein had been working on for over a year in cooperation with chareidi representatives, was meant to establish a legal framework for yeshiva students’ deferments from military service. But after modifying key elements of the law, the partnership collapsed, and the bill was deemed unacceptable by the chareidi leadership.

In a fiery speech before Shabbos, Rav Yitzchok Yosef launched a scathing attack on Edelstein, referencing his family background: “There is one whose father converted and became a priest. This person grew up in the home of a priest and is now causing all the trouble for yeshiva bochurim. He wears a knitted kippah and causes all the trouble. You—your father converted and became a priest! And you come to harm those who learn Torah? What business do you have with lomdei Torah? Remove your shoes from this sacred place!”

Rav Yosef continued, condemning the proposed measures: “They’re imposing all kinds of decrees. Every yeshiva student would have to give fingerprints morning and night. No driver’s license until age 30, no travel abroad—not even to Uman—until 30. No property tax discounts, no daycare subsidies, no eligibility for housing lotteries. Fines and sanctions—absolute contempt for talmidei chachamim, outright disgrace of the Torah.

“Who knows what punishment awaits? Who knows what plague might come because of what they’re doing? Hashem does not overlook such things. This is a bizayon haTorah, a disgrace to talmidei chachamim. You must be strong. Our guiding line is Torah—not the army, not anything else.”