A lengthy meeting involving Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and representatives from United Torah Judaism and Shas, the two Charedi parties in the coalition, regarding a contentious Charedi military draft legislation concluded without significant headway, as per reports.
The Kan public broadcaster noted that the gathering ended unproductively with no plans for further discussions. Justice Minister Yariv Levin was also present at the meeting, during which the Charedi parties criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for her stance against defending the government’s initial proposal in court.
Last year, a law permitting young Charedi men to defer their military service for yeshiva studies until they reached an exemption age expired. The Supreme Court deemed the existing system discriminatory and set a deadline for the government to present a bill by April 1 and pass it by June 30. As the deadline approached, a meeting was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss Netanyahu’s draft bill, but it was postponed due to backlash against the proposal.
Following strong objections from within his government, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, against the original plan, Netanyahu delayed the cabinet discussion and engaged in extensive negotiations within the coalition regarding the controversial reform.
The initial proposal did not specify a quota for the enlistment of Charedi men each year. Instead, it raised the age of exemption from service to 35, arguing that keeping young Charedi men in yeshiva for decades might dissuade them from lifelong study commitments and instead encourage enlistment. It also guaranteed that those who don’t enlist wouldn’t face personal financial penalties and included plans for specialized Charedi units in the IDF and additional Charedi roles in emergency services and government offices.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has petitioned for the enlistment of the Charedim, criticized the government’s tactics, accusing it of employing the same strategies and reversing decisions regarding the age of exemption. The watchdog group emphasized the necessity of equal burden-sharing in military service and urged the enactment of a uniform enlistment law.
Reports from Channel 12 and Ynet indicated that the attorney general proposed including recruitment targets in the legislation, a suggestion rejected by the Charedi parties.
UTJ reportedly threatened to leave the coalition led by Netanyahu if the proposal included yearly recruitment goals for yeshiva students and financial penalties for institutions failing to meet them. This ultimatum reportedly led to the last-minute postponement of the cabinet meeting earlier in the day, potentially jeopardizing Netanyahu’s coalition, which currently holds a slim majority in the Knesset.
Apart from Baharav-Miara and Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz, whose National Unity party holds eight seats, voiced opposition to the original plan, labeling it a threat to national unity. Gantz insisted on the support of all coalition parties, including more centrist members, for any new legislation to pass.
In a letter to Netanyahu and other officials, dozens of IDF reserve commanders criticized the current draft bill, warning that it would exacerbate inequality and undermine national security. They expressed concerns that the proposed legislation, combined with plans to extend military service, would strain the reserve system and impair operational readiness.
Finance Ministry officials opposed the lack of personal financial sanctions in the government’s draft, arguing that they would be ineffective in encouraging enlistment. They advocated for penalties on individuals rather than yeshivas failing to meet enlistment quotas.
Since the conflict in Gaza began, the government has mobilized thousands of reservists, accelerated draft dates for pre-army programs, and proposed longer service periods for conscripts and reservists. This proposal faced backlash, prompting legislative efforts to end exemptions for the Charedim, who saw a record number of exemptions in the past year.
{Matzav.com Israel}
