AhlulBayt News Agency: Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties have presented two proposals to Gadi Eisenkot, seeking temporary military service exemptions for religious seminary students and a halt to arrests and prosecutions related to draft evasion. The measures are intended to pave the way for their possible participation in a new governing coalition.
As elections for the presidency of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, approach and Gadi Eisenkot pursues a mandate to form a government, political parties are intensifying efforts to build alliances. The opposition bloc, known as the Change Bloc, is seeking to exploit growing divisions between Benjamin Netanyahu and factions within the United Torah Judaism alliance, led by Yaakov Asher, in an effort to persuade the Haredi parties to leave the current coalition and join the opposition camp.
According to Israel’s Channel 13, senior officials from the Haredi factions within the United Torah Judaism alliance met Eisenkot on Tuesday and conveyed a clear message, calling for confidence-building measures even before a new government is formed.
In a departure from their previous position, the Haredi representatives reportedly said they would not initially demand the passage of a new military conscription law during preliminary coalition negotiations. However, they presented other demands.
The Israeli newspaper *Maariv* reported that Haredi Knesset members Meir Porush and Eliakim Stark had submitted two proposals for consideration by the next Knesset. The proposals seek to establish the legal status of yeshiva students and suspend their arrests and prosecution over failure to perform military service.
Two Proposals to Protect Yeshiva Students
Under the first proposal, the future defence minister would be required to grant temporary military service exemptions to students who spend at least 40 hours a week studying the Torah at religious institutions.
The exemptions would be valid for a maximum of one year at a time and could be renewed until the individual reaches the age of 26, at which point the proposal provides for a full exemption from military service.
The proposal also stipulates that eligible students should not face prosecution for failing to report for military service before the new legislation takes effect. Any ongoing legal proceedings or sentences against them would be suspended.
The second proposal, titled the “Arrest Suspension Law”, would introduce a one-year interim order halting arrests, investigations and legal proceedings against eligible yeshiva students who had been subject to military conscription before the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Growing Rift Between Haredi Parties and Netanyahu
The negotiations come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Haredi parties and Netanyahu's Likud party. Senior figures in the ultra-Orthodox camp have criticised the prime minister and his associates, accusing them of failing to address their demands.
Sources familiar with closed-door discussions reportedly quoted Haredi representatives as saying: “Netanyahu offers us nothing and has no alternative for us.”
Netanyahu, meanwhile, warned the Haredi parties against joining the Change Bloc during a speech in the Knesset on Monday. He argued that promises made by the opposition would be abandoned once an Eisenkot-led government was established, describing it as a “left-wing government”.
The warning comes despite Netanyahu's failure over the past four years to secure the passage of legislation exempting Haredi men from military service, even while his government enjoyed a parliamentary majority.
Leaders of the Change Bloc, by contrast, have agreed to continue negotiations with the Haredi parties and seek their support.
Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, has said he is willing to compromise on legislation concerning Haredi military service in order to form a government without Netanyahu. He has also dropped his categorical opposition to the participation of Haredi parties in a future coalition.
Eisenkot has stated that any party accepting his four proposed principles would be eligible to join the next government. One of these principles is mandatory military service for all Israelis, an issue that remains a major point of disagreement between the Change Bloc and the Haredi parties.
It remains to be seen whether Netanyahu's opponents are prepared to make the concessions necessary to secure Haredi support and form an alternative government, including whether they are willing to soften their longstanding position on universal military conscription.
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