Tension is mounting in the political corridors of the Knesset—and especially in the private rooms of the chareidi factions—just 24 hours before the expected vote on the bill to dissolve the Knesset. At the heart of the storm is a weighty dilemma: whether to go through with the threat to support the bill or hold off in light of new developments.
Chareidi parties have previously declared that they would vote in favor of dissolution as a protest against the government’s failure to deliver on its promise to pass a new draft law, a commitment made during the formation of the current coalition.
However, for the first time, chareidi representatives are openly grappling with a dilemma, as Knesset Legal Adviser Adv. Sagit Afik has now become directly involved in the formulation of the draft law’s text, working with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to Afik, completing a final version of the draft law will require at least another week of work. This extended timeline complicates the chareidi parties’ efforts to register their protest against Prime Minister Netanyahu through tomorrow’s vote.
Adding to the complexity is a warning issued by the Prime Minister’s Office: should chareidi parties support the bill in its preliminary reading, it could prompt the Attorney General to formally declare the country in a pre-election period, a move that would freeze government operations, appointments, and other legislative work, something the chareidi parties deeply wish to avoid.
Despite mounting frustration with Netanyahu, many chareidi lawmakers continue to express trust in Legal Adviser Sagit Afik, with whom they have maintained a long-standing working relationship across multiple legislative efforts.
The core question now facing the chareidi bloc is whether to delay their political statement by granting the legal team more time or to follow through with tomorrow’s vote and potentially walk away from the process thereafter.
As of now, the clock is ticking toward what could be a decisive evening vote.
{Matzav.com Israel}
