High Court move on state comptroller vote gives Haredi parties new leverage

The High Court of Justice’s intention to order the Knesset to hold a repeat vote on selecting the state comptroller is giving ultra-Orthodox parties extra leverage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Knesset is due to respond to the court today, and if Speaker Amir Ohana refuses to schedule a revote, the court is expected to issue an order nisi compelling him to do so.

If a new vote is held, it could take place within days and would require only a simple majority. Netanyahu would need the Haredi parties’ support to secure a majority for appointing his attorney, Michael Ravivo. United Torah Judaism is demanding passage of the so-called Daycare Law, which would restore state subsidies for daycare centers that were cut off for families of yeshiva students who evade military service.

Netanyahu recently agreed to advance the law, then backtracked, saying he lacked the votes. Haredi sources say they do not trust him and now want payment "in cash," meaning before the comptroller revote. In that case, the Knesset would need to take the bill through its first reading in the coming days; the proposal has already been approved by the Finance Committee.

Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism is continuing its vote boycott on government and coalition initiatives, which last week forced the cancellation of a Finance Committee meeting on a package of budget transfers to government ministries and removed several bills from the Knesset agenda. Agudat Israel is pressing for the Basic Law, Torah Study, which recently passed a preliminary reading, but no committee debate has yet been set. Because of the rift between Netanyahu and party leader Yitzhak Goldknopf, it is unclear whether the faction will trust Netanyahu’s promise to advance the law later. United Torah Judaism says Netanyahu has broken every agreement since the start of the term on legislation addressing draft evasion, leaving Haredim to lose financial benefits, face arrest as draft evaders, and absorb public criticism. Shas chair Aryeh Deri supports Netanyahu, but insists on a temporary order to halt arrests of draft dodgers, and the comptroller vote gives him a pressure point to force fast-track legislation.