Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers threaten new coalition crisis

Netanyahu’s government again working to stave off rebellion by ultra-Orthodox parties as they threaten to bolt over failure to pass new draft law.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli government is facing a new coalition crisis this week, with ultra-Orthodox lawmakers poised to bolt the government in protest of the failure to pass a new draft law.

On Monday, the spiritual leaders of the Degel HaTorah faction – Rabbi Dov Landau and Moshe Hillel Hirsch – instructed the party’s three MKs to leave the governing coalition if they do not receive a final draft for a new bill reestablishing army deferments for full-time yeshiva students by Monday night.

Degal HaTorah is one of two factions in the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, which, together with the Sephardic Shas party, represents the roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel.

The second faction, Agudath Israel, with four MKs, already returned its sole ministerial portfolio – the Ministry of Construction and Housing – last month, when the faction threatened to bolt the government.

Without the UTJ party, the Netanyahu government will still be able to retain power, but will be limited to a minimal legislative majority of 61 MKs in the 120-member Knesset, making passage of legislation more difficult.

According to a report by journalist Amit Segal, UTJ is pressing the Shas party, with its 11 Knesset seats, to also bolt the government, a move that would topple the ruling coalition and force new elections.

In anticipation of the ultra-Orthodox withdrawal from the government, the center-left Yesh Atid party announced on Sunday that it had secured enough signatures in the Knesset to bring back a motion to dissolve the Knesset.

The motion was shot down last month, just days before Israel launched its 12-day air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

After intensive talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to secure the backing of both Shas and Degel HaTorah.

Now, however, Degel HaTorah is poised to drop its support for the coalition, voicing its frustration over the lack of a new draft law.

The dispute stems from efforts to secure support within the coalition for a new draft law restoring draft deferrals for yeshiva students.

Last year, the Supreme Court terminated the existing draft deferral program, seven years after it ruled the draft law violated the principle of equality under the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.

Since then, the ruling Likud party has struggled to reach a consensus on a replacement law. Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein demanded that major changes be included to the deferral policy with the goal of inducting greater numbers of ultra-Orthodox men and imposing sanctions on those who refuse draft orders.

In the interim, under instructions from the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s office, the IDF has issued draft orders to tens of thousands of yeshiva students who were previously covered by the deferral system.

With low response rates to the draft orders, the Defense Ministry has vowed to increase enforcement efforts, including jail time for draft-refusers and travel bans.