Ultra-Orthodox Party Sets Draft Exemption as Coalition Entry Condition

Meir Porush, a Member of Knesset and former minister, has declared that the United Torah Judaism party will veto any coalition appointments or legislative advancements until the legal status of yeshiva students is resolved. Speaking on Kol Chai radio, Porush emphasized a binding agreement between the party's constituent factions, Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah, making the draft exemption for yeshiva students an absolute prerequisite for entering any future coalition.

"We have signed an explicit agreement between Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah," Porush stated. "We will not accept any coalition positions, whether ministers, deputy ministers, or committee chairs, nor will we permit the passage of any coalition legislation, as long as the status of yeshiva students and Torah scholars is not legally settled."

Porush warned that lawmakers seeking to advance legislation would find progress impossible without a full resolution to the draft issue. He also expressed concern about the potential negative impact of the judicial system and government legal counsel on the lives of Torah scholars, cautioning that reliance on adversarial elements could severely harm the budgets and existence of educational institutions and communities nationwide.

"The public must understand what happens when one-sided decisions are made in the judicial system and legal counsel that harm Torah scholars and institutions," Porush cautioned. "If, heaven forbid, the left, led by figures like Yair Golan or their associates, manages the system, they will be the ones to decide what can be received in each city, and whether cities whose residents they do not favor are entitled to budgets. Our goal in the campaign is to illustrate to the public how critical these elections are to our existence."