Ultra-Orthodox rabbis demand draft exemption pledges from all 48 Eisenkot bloc lawmakers

The proposed coalition would also need Shas support, despite its endorsement of Netanyahu.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis are seeking signed commitments from all 48 lawmakers in Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc to support military draft exemptions for yeshiva students and protect the legislation from court intervention as a condition for joining a potential Eisenkot-led government, Channel 12 reported Thursday.

Rabbinic advisers to Agudat Yisrael, a three-member faction within United Torah Judaism (UTJ), want lawmakers to pledge support for both the exemption legislation and a special override clause that would shield it from being struck down by the High Court of Justice.

The rabbis reportedly acknowledge that the proposed exemptions might not withstand judicial scrutiny.

Nevertheless, they consider passage of the legislation symbolically important and want assurances that lawmakers would subsequently support an override provision if the court invalidates it.

A document obtained by Channel 12 also calls for the Agudat Yisrael faction to seek advance approval from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for the draft exemption bill. The proposal includes the possibility of direct or indirect coordination with her office.

However, Channel 13 reported Thursday that some members of Eisenkot’s bloc had obtained a professional legal opinion concluding that no legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service could be passed in a form that would withstand judicial review.

The demands come as the parties consider possible coalition arrangements, with the 48-seat bloc of Zionist parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lacking the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.

Even with UTJ’s seven seats, Eisenkot’s bloc would control only 55 seats, six short of the 61 required for a majority in the Knesset.

Securing the support of the seven-seat Shas party would bring the prospective coalition to 62 seats.

However, Shas, which represents the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox community, remains more closely aligned with Netanyahu and recommended that he form the next government.

UTJ took a different position, declining to recommend any candidate for prime minister. Its decision leaves open the possibility of coalition negotiations with Eisenkot’s bloc, although the rabbinic demands present a potential obstacle to an agreement.