Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that he is expected to meet again on Thursday with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein, after their meeting Wednesday evening suggested that “there is a path to bridging the gaps” on passing a military draft exemption law for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
Netanyahu recently sounded out ultra-Orthodox leaders on a proposal: Would they agree not to dissolve the Knesset during the current session in exchange for Edelstein’s removal from his post? The response from the Haredi parties was unequivocal: “Ousting him won’t help us.”
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(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Shalev Shalom, Oliver Contreras/ AFP, Dmitry Pistrov/Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, one ultra-Orthodox minister believes the meetings are meant not to resolve the draft law crisis, but simply to remove Edelstein. “This is Netanyahu’s style—when there were threats to torpedo the trapped profits tax bill, he fired [Yoav] Gallant. Now that there are threats to dissolve the Knesset, he’ll probably oust Edelstein tonight,” the minister said. However, he added, that won’t solve anything: “The problem will remain. Netanyahu never wanted—and still doesn’t want—to resolve the issue of Torah students’ status. The only solution is to dissolve the Knesset.”
Following the meeting, Netanyahu’s office said he would also meet Thursday with Shas senior figure Ariel Atias and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs “to advance a solution.” According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, “tonight’s meeting clarified that there is a way to bridge the gaps on the draft issue.”
Edelstein’s office issued a nearly identical statement to the one released after his recent meeting with Haredi leaders, saying: “The Edelstein-Netanyahu meeting has concluded. The meeting was held in good spirits. Further discussions have been scheduled.” After Edelstein's meeting with the ultra-Orthodox parties earlier this week, a similar message was issued, followed shortly thereafter by those parties announcing their support for dissolving the government.
Ahead of the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, Edelstein released a statement and a clip from a speech he gave last month. “A law without effective personal sanctions is not a draft, it’s evasion,” he declared.
“There is nothing new under the sun,” Edelstein said, referring to his inconclusive meeting with Haredi leaders. “The draft law framework I presented in our meeting is the same one we’ve been discussing for over a year. A law without effective personal sanctions, with high enlistment targets and a sharp upward trajectory—isn’t conscription, it’s evasion. I’ve opposed that all along.”
Edelstein added: “While IDF soldiers and commanders are in the midst of a campaign to defeat Hamas, I am committed to them, to their families, and to Israel’s security—to broaden the draft base, secure the IDF’s future for generations, and ease the burden on reservists.”
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Even as United Torah Judaism and Shas threaten political consequences, Edelstein made his position clear: “I am not in favor of dissolving the coalition or bringing down the government, and I do not share in the hostility toward our Haredi brothers. On the contrary. As chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, with full awareness of the security threats we face, I say this openly: We must not pause our efforts on multiple fronts to engage in politics. The order of the day is to pass an effective and genuine draft law. After 77 years, we can make history.”
Sources close to Netanyahu said the prime minister is currently in a “marathon of meetings” to avoid early elections. “Elections are not what the country needs right now. They send the wrong message to our enemies in wartime,” a source said. “He’s speaking with senior rabbis and ultra-Orthodox party leaders. Right now, he’s meeting with Yuli [Edelstein] and doing everything he can to prevent elections.”
Despite those efforts, the Haredi parties have already identified Edelstein as the main obstacle to their preferred draft exemption law. They emerged from their long and unproductive meeting with him earlier this week deeply dissatisfied, despite his attempt to frame the meeting as “positive.” Significant gaps remain between the sides, particularly on enlistment targets and penalties for draft dodgers.
According to ultra-Orthodox officials, Edelstein introduced new conditions that had not previously been on the table. As a result, they decided not to wait for Netanyahu, and the leading Haredi rabbis, who are the ultimate decision-makers, issued statements supporting withdrawal from the coalition, a bill to dissolve the Knesset, or both. Their frustration, however, is not solely aimed at Edelstein—they are also pointing fingers at Netanyahu.