Ultra-Orthodox party leaders Aryeh Deri, chairman of Shas, and Moshe Gafni, chairman of United Torah Judaism’s Degel Hatorah, issued a sharp warning on Tuesday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after what they described as a tense meeting with him. In a joint statement, they said they conveyed an urgent demand from the senior rabbinic leadership to advance two bills immediately, a Basic Law on Torah study and legislation to stop arrests of yeshiva students.
The two lawmakers said the demand was not symbolic and came with a firm timetable. They called for the relevant Knesset committees to be convened this week, specifically the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Knesset Committee, before the current work week ends.
Deri and Gafni also made clear that failure to move ahead could trigger an immediate political crisis. “If we do not see practical steps as we demanded, we will support dissolving the Knesset next week,” they said.
According to the joint statement, Netanyahu told them in the meeting that he is committed to approving the bills and will work to advance them quickly. The warning places a near-term deadline on the coalition’s survival and raises the possibility of early elections if the ultra-Orthodox parties conclude that no real progress is being made.
