Ultra-Orthodox Draft Bill: Israeli Opposition Falls Short in Push for New Elections
Opposition in Israeli Parliament Votes Unsuccessfully - No Immediate Elections Called
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In a surprising turn of events, Israeli opposition's bid to dissolve parliament and force new elections fell through. The root cause of this fiasco — a contentious bill aimed at compelling more ultra-religious men to serve in the military.
Key members within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, including ultra-religious allies, reportedly backed the opposition's move. But a majority of 61 out of 120 parliament members voted against the opposition's bill in a preliminary reading[1].
Progress had been made in negotiations between the ultra-Orthodox parties and Juli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as per the news portal "ynet". Edelstein is drafting a bill that would not only conscript ultra-religious men but also impose penalties on those refusing[1]. The ultra-Orthodox coalition partners threatened to leave the government[1]. Netanyahu and his aides have tirelessly pursued a resolution to the mounting conflicts with the ultra-religious parties.
For decades, ultra-religious men in Israel have been granted exemptions from military service, but this privilege expired last year[1]. The Israeli government's repeated attempts to pass a law ensuring a permanent exemption for the ultra-Orthodox failed, prompting the Supreme Court to rule in the summer of 2024 that ultra-orthodox men must serve[1]. [3][5]
Many ultra-Orthodox Jews stress that military service endangers their religious lifestyle, partly because men and women serve together[1]. However, the military warned of a critical shortage of combat soldiers, given Israel's extended battle against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip[1].
As the IDF plans to dispatch over 54,000 draft orders to the ultra-Orthodox community by July 2025[2], the opposition's push for new elections seems to have stalled. The coalition's sheer resilience, legal restrictions, and ongoing military draft policies for ultra-Orthodox men have effectively thwarted the opposition's attempts[2][5].
[1] ntv.de, dpa[2] Times of Israel[3] The Jerusalem Post[4] The Associated Press[5] CNN
Historically, the Israeli opposition's efforts to push for new elections based on the ultra-Orthodox draft bill have been hindered by multiple factors. These include coalition dynamics, legal challenges, the recent Knesset vote, and the IDF's resolve to enforce military draft policies for the ultra-Orthodox community.
The Israeli opposition's continuous attempts to push for new elections, based on the ultra-Orthodox draft bill, have been consistently thwarted due to factors such as coalition dynamics, Knesset votes, legal challenges, and the Israeli Defense Forces' determination to enforce employment policies within the ultra-Orthodox community, which is a significant aspect of the country's politics. This situation can be considered a general-news topic that is of great interest to the public.
