Despite Coalition Rebellion, Netanyahu Reassures Chareidi Parties: “We Will Secure a Majority for the New Draft Law”
A political storm erupted Monday as numerous coalition MKs — especially from the Religious Zionism party — publicly announced that they would vote against the current version of the new draft law submitted to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. But according to Chareidi party sources, Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu appears far less alarmed than expected.
Late Monday night, Netanyahu sent a message to senior representatives of the Chareidi factions stating that he believes he will succeed in assembling a majority to pass the draft law now under committee review. His assessment came even as tensions within the coalition intensified.
Chareidi lawmakers were stunned by the scale of opposition from within their own partnership. While they anticipated a handful of dissenters, they did not expect so many coalition MKs to openly declare that they would vote against the proposed legislation.
To make matters worse, senior coalition officials began briefing reporters that “the law was born dead,” a phrase first publicized by journalist Amit Segal. They predicted the bill would not survive a vote on the Knesset floor. Furious at the internal backlash — and at the media briefings — Chareidi party leaders delivered sharp messages to the Prime Minister’s Office demanding clarity and commitment.
Sources say that Netanyahu responded confidently, assuring the Chareidi factions that despite the vocal opposition, he expects to secure enough support for the legislation. He conveyed that, in his view, the law will pass its second and third readings within five weeks.
Still, senior Chareidi officials are deeply uneasy. They fear that in order to lock in the needed majority, the government may introduce substantial changes to the bill — particularly in the sensitive clause defining “who is considered Chareidi” for the purpose of calculating draft quotas. According to one veteran Chareidi figure closely involved in the negotiations, “We are barely able to vote for the current draft as it is. The rabbonim told us explicitly this is the absolute limit. If changes are made, Netanyahu may gain the votes of the Religious Zionism party and the Likud rebels, but he will lose the Chareidim — and once again there will be no majority.”
Meanwhile, the Religious Zionism faction issued a public statement Tuesday reiterating its stance: “We reaffirmed in our faction meeting that we will vote only for a law that brings about real and immediate enlistment of Chareidim to the IDF in order to meet the army’s needs and ease the burden on soldiers, reservists, and their families. We are consulting and formulating our comments on the law and will insist that they be incorporated in the legislative process. In any case, we will make decisions together and act as a united faction.”
{Matzav.com}
