Eisenkot Bloc Explores Halting Haredi Draft Enforcement to Secure Religious Party Support

Under the proposed plan, the incoming government would suspend enforcement measures against Haredi draft evaders for twelve months. This interim period would be used to draft a mutually agreeable conscription law, potentially based on a revised version of a 2018 proposal by Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman. United Torah Judaism Chairman MK Yaakov Asher has presented three non-negotiable conditions for an agreement, including a settled status for yeshiva students, funding for Haredi education without core curriculum requirements, and maintaining the status quo on religion and state.

The proposal faces significant legal and institutional hurdles. The High Court of Justice previously ruled a similar suspension of draft enforcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in 2023 to be unconstitutional, establishing a precedent that could invalidate any new freeze. Additionally, the IDF opposes unilateral freezes, maintaining that enforcement measures are essential to the conscription system.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is actively working to block the deal and retain his alliances with Haredi parties, including Shas. Coalition negotiations are further complicated by Lieberman's insistence on a conscription law that satisfies both the Supreme Court and Rabbi Dov Lando, alongside his opposition to any government that relies on the support of the Arab Ra'am party.