New Plan May Allow Haredi Parties to Join Government

A new proposal under discussion could enable Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties to join a government led by Gadi Eisenkot. According to a report by Yair Sherki on Channel 12, the plan involves establishing a government supported externally by the Haredi parties, with United Torah Judaism and possibly Shas officially joining the coalition only after a law exempting them from military service is approved. The primary obstacle in negotiations is the Haredi parties' demand for the immediate passage of a draft exemption law as a condition for joining the government. However, advancing such a law requires the formation of a new government first.

The proposed law is expected to face scrutiny from the High Court of Justice (Bagatz), necessitating its submission as a government bill through the Ministry of Defense. This means it cannot be advanced through the planned route before the government is sworn in. The solution currently being discussed is a two-stage approach: first, an Eisenkot government would be sworn in, supported from the outside by the Haredi parties, with a commitment to advance a government draft law. In the second stage, after the law is approved by the Knesset, the Haredi parties would join the government.

This approach carries significant political risk for the Haredi parties, who might support the government's formation only to find the promised draft law stalled or not approved in their desired form. Consequently, the Haredi parties are reportedly seeking guarantees, including the legal counsel's stance on the law they wish to advance. Another revealed detail concerns the role of Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman. The Haredi parties are reportedly familiar with Lieberman's political conduct, unlike Eisenkot, with whom they have no similar experience. Lieberman's appointment as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, through which the draft law is expected to pass, is viewed in this context, with the Haredi parties reportedly trusting his commitments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues efforts to prevent the Haredi parties from joining an Eisenkot government. A lengthy late-night meeting between Netanyahu and Knesset Member Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism took place at the Prime Minister's Office. Likud sources on Tuesday morning assessed that they had succeeded in blocking the move, having previously believed the Haredi parties' entry into an Eisenkot government was nearly finalized. Likud believes they have persuaded the Haredi parties not to relinquish their key bargaining chip, support for government formation, before receiving tangible benefits.

Alongside the difficulties with the Haredi parties, the option of forming a government with external support from Arab parties also faces obstacles. Sources within the "change bloc" criticize Lieberman, claiming he "eliminates daily" the possibility of forming such a government. Thus, the two main options for Eisenkot remain at this stage without a breakthrough: a government with external support from Arab parties or a government involving the Haredi parties, which requires prior agreement on the draft law issue.