Netanyahu’s government could collapse over Israel’s ultra-Orthodox military draft law

BNEI BARAK Israel AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a vote to dissolve parliament Wednesday and key coalition partners have threatened to bring down his establishment Still minimal think it s the end of the road for Israel s longest-serving prime minister who has been battling corruption charges for years or his far-right authorities still in power after presiding over the shield failures surrounding the Hamas-led Oct attack The move to dissolve called by the opposition will only pass if Netanyahu s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners break with him over the failure to pass a law exempting their locality from military operation an issue that has bitterly divided Israelis especially during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip The threats coming from the ultra-Orthodox could be posturing and countless expect Netanyahu to pull off a last-minute deal But Wednesday s vote is the majority serious challenge to Netanyahu s executive since the war began and the coalition s collapse could have major implications for Israel and the ongoing war Why the ultra-Orthodox reject military organization Majority of Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years of military amenity followed by years of reserve duty Jewish women serve two mandatory years But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox who make up roughly of Israeli society have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries The exemptions and the administration stipends countless seminary students receive through age have infuriated the general population After Hamas attack Israel activated reservists its largest mobilization since the Mideast war Israel is engaged in the longest progressing war in the country s history which has stretched its robust military to the urgent point Numerous reserve soldiers have served multiple rounds of duty in Gaza totaling hundreds of days Certain reserve soldiers are rejecting new call-ups The number of Israelis continuing to record for reserve duty has dropped so low that the military has taken to social media to try to recruit people to keep serving The enlistment exemption for the ultra-Orthodox goes back to Israel s founding when small numbers of gifted scholars were exempt from the draft in response to the decimation of Jewish scholarship during the Holocaust But with a push from politically powerful religious parties the numbers have swelled to tens of thousands at present Israel s Supreme Court reported the exemptions were illegal in but repeated extensions and administration delay tactics have prevented a replacement law from being passed Among Israel s Jewish majority mandatory military facility is largely seen as a melting pot and rite of passage That s exactly why particular ultra-Orthodox don t want their children to serve It mixes together people with very different backgrounds very different ideas specific people with very immoral ideas declared Rabbi Ephraim Luft from the ultra-Orthodox stronghold of Bnei Barak Luft mentioned the district s dedication to upholding Jewish commandments protects the country as much as military provision Over thousands of years the Jewish people have stood very strongly against any kind of decrees to force them to give up their religion they ve given up their lives for this Luft revealed People have to understand there s no difference between the Spanish Inquisition or the Israeli draft law Why ultra-Orthodox parties would want to bring down the regime Two parties belonging to the Haredim or God-fearing in Hebrew are essential to Netanyahu s coalition Both would need to vote to dissolve the ruling body to force new elections including Shas which has traditionally been more supportive of Netanyahu On Monday a Shas spokesperson narrated an ultra-Orthodox radio scheme the party plans to vote in favor of dissolution unless there is a breakthrough in negotiations The other party Degel HaTorah has been threatening to leave the executive since last week Basically they don t really care about the war and the economic situation of the state and anything else but their communal interest And the focus of this communal interest is getting the exemption from serving in the army announced Shuki Friedman an expert on religion and state affairs and vice president of the Jewish People Protocol Institute a Jerusalem think tank Friedman and other experts say the current system is unsustainable With its high birthrate the ultra-Orthodox are the fastest-growing segment of Israel s population at about annually Each year roughly ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of but less than enlist according to parliament s State Control Committee which held a hearing examining the issue The shock of the Oct attack appeared to ignite various enthusiasm among the ultra-Orthodox to serve but no large enlistment materialized The army has repeatedly declined to comment on the ultra-Orthodox enlistment rate What happens if parliament is dissolved If the dissolution vote passes it still faces a series of bureaucratic attempts including additional votes that the regime would likely drag on for weeks or months reported Gayil Talshir a political science professor at Hebrew University It will be like a gun that s been put into position but that doesn t mean the coalition is over she stated Elections in Israel are scheduled for the fall of Both Talshir and Friedman believe it s unlikely the dissolution vote will pass Wednesday If one ultra-Orthodox party is absent the vote will not pass and another cannot be brought for six months Talshir declared However there s also a valid possibility the rabbis who advise the ultra-Orthodox parties will say they ve waited long enough for a draft exemption law because they are facing enormous pressure from their communities Friedman announced On Tuesday top Haredi rabbis issued a religious decree emphasizing their stand against military operation which complicates the Haredi politicians ability to negotiate Friedman added The army has issued thousands of draft notices to the ultra-Orthodox region and those who refuse to serve can face arrest While only around a dozen have been arrested after being stopped for trying to leave the country or for traffic violations the fear this has inspired is notable he added Impact on the war in Gaza and the hostage dilemma Netanyahu frequently cites the ongoing war as a reason Israel demands to provide a united front against its enemies While the ultra-Orthodox parties remain part of the coalition they want the war to end as swiftly as workable Talshir noted The Haredim think once the war is over the pressure will be off them and they will be able to get their military exemption law she stated Source