Ultra-Orthodox Parties Demand Personal Guarantees on Conscription Law
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
Ultra-Orthodox parties are demanding personal commitments from all 48 members of the "Change Bloc" to support a conscription exemption law as a condition for forming an alternative government. Negotiations are underway, with proposals including a one-year enforcement freeze and an override clause, but face legal and security challenges. The Haredi parties may also break a promise by joining a government before the law is passed.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Ultra-Orthodox parties demand personal signatures from 48 Change Bloc members on conscription exemption.
- A one-year freeze on conscription enforcement is proposed by the Change Bloc.
- The High Court of Justice has previously ruled against non-enforcement of conscription.
- IDF opposes halting conscription arrests, even if universally applied.
- An override clause is demanded to counter potential High Court rulings against the law.
- Haredi parties may break a promise by joining a government without a settled conscription law.
Ultra-Orthodox parties are demanding personal commitments from all members of the "Change Bloc" to support a conscription law that would exempt yeshiva students from military service. These demands are part of ongoing negotiations for a potential alternative government supported by the Haredi parties.
Sources within the Haredi community understand that passing the conscription law and regulating the status of yeshiva students is technically impossible before a new government is formed. Therefore, they are seeking significant assurances, including a signed declaration from all 48 members of the Change Bloc, pledging support for an agreed-upon version of the law. One proposal from the Change Bloc suggests a one-year freeze on conscription enforcement and arrests via a government decision, allowing time to advance a permanent conscription law. This approach mirrors a past maneuver from June 2023 when the previous government's conscription law expired.
However, this proposal faces legal and security hurdles. The High Court of Justice (Bagatz) has previously ruled that a government cannot order non-enforcement of conscription. The IDF also opposes halting arrests, even if applied universally. Meanwhile, a high-level consultation took place at the home of the Slonim Rebbe to formulate Hasidic demands, attended by prominent Rebbes and rabbis. A document from this consultation reportedly indicates ongoing contacts with the Attorney General.
Key demands include the personal signatures of all 48 Change Bloc members supporting the exemption and the enactment of an "override clause" to counter potential High Court rulings against the law. This override clause is modeled after a precedent from the Rabin government, which used such a clause to ban pork imports despite a High Court decision.
Adding to the complexity, if the Haredi parties join a government with the Change Bloc, they may have to break a campaign promise not to enter a government without a settled conscription law, as they would likely need to join first and then propose the law as a government bill. Despite ongoing political maneuvering and the crystallization of Haredi demands, the path to an alternative government remains fraught with obstacles, with the conscription issue emerging as a critical condition for any new coalition.
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