ALBAWABA - The ultra-Orthodox military draft law is causing a political standoff that could end Israel's coalition government. Haredi parties are giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government strict deadlines to meet.
Kan, an Israeli news station, says that the current problem was started by Aryeh Deri, the head of the Shas party. This has already pushed back Netanyahu's planned trip abroad.
Deri asked for a draft law on the forced service of Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) to be shown right away and warned that if it wasn't, his party and its partners would fight any law supported by the government. In response, Netanyahu talked to Yuli Edelstein, who is the head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset. Edelstein promised that a draft of the bill would be ready in two days.
Edelstein agreed to show Ariel Atias, a prominent member of Shas, the draft, but he made it clear that this version is not the final one and that the whole law would be sent in later. Edelstein said, "The crisis can't be solved without the final draft."
"We won't put up with any more delays," a top Haredi official told Kan. The group will not be able to work if the law is not given by Monday. The threat includes not voting in Knesset on any bills, which is a big change from their earlier strategy of only rejecting certain laws.
Yair Lapid, the head of the opposition, spoke out against the move and said Edelstein was wrong to share the draft with Haredi leaders before talking to Israel's troops and reservists. "This is the whole point of avoiding the draft," Lapid said.
Opposition members also said Edelstein hid what the law said and skipped over committee meetings. At the same time, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi went to the ultra-Orthodox Hashmonaim training base to praise those who serve and stress that military service is acceptable with Haredi life.
The rising tension shows how deeply divided the partnership is and makes people worry about how stable Netanyahu's government's legislation will be in the future.
