Jerusalem – Netanyahu To Raise Draft Bill Despite Haredi Opposition

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    Ultra orthodox Jewish men protest outside the house of Torah Judaism party Knesset Member Moshe Gafni, against the army draft bill, on June 20, 2018. Photo by Yehuda Haim/Flash90Jerusalem – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at Sunday’s meeting of heads of parties in his coalition that he would bring a controversial bill legislating the drafting of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshiva students to a preliminary vote in the Knesset next week, even though United Torah Judaism and Shas oppose the bill.

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    Netanyahu said he would work with the parties in the coalition after the bill advances in order to reach a consensus before the bill is passed into law. He is not expected to have a problem passing the bill in its preliminary reading without haredi support, because it is backed by Yesh Atid.

    UTJ has threatened to initiate elections over the bill.
    “I do not want elections, but I am not afraid of elections,” Netanyahu told the UTJ leaders at the meeting.

    UTJ MK Moshe Gafni, who has suggested he may not oppose the bill, was verbally attacked on Friday night when he was on his way from his synagogue to his home in the haredi Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak.

    “Gafni is selling out the yeshiva students,” some 15 protesters chanted. “Gafni is a murderer. Gafni is a traitor.”

    UTJ MK Uri Maklev was also heckled Friday when he was shopping in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood. Neither Gafni, nor Maklev responded to the hecklers.

    The leading rabbi of the non-hassidic “Lithuanian” haredi community, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, has told Gafni that the recently proposed bill for haredi enlistment is acceptable and can be advanced through the Knesset.

    The Jerusalem Post has learned that Kanievsky described the bill as “the lesser of two evils,” that Degel Hatorah MKs – forming half of the UTJ Knesset faction – should not go to war over the legislation and that it could be supported in general.


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    5 years ago

    Good for all u religious Zionists with your “Goodene Yiddisha Medina”. Sit further in the Keneset haminim that spites Hashem not only with giyus bt eith every move of it.
    Even in secular countries they respect the right of yeshiva students. If u claim that Israel is a secular state that has 0 tolerance for Torah and is totally unaffiliated with Judaism, then be it. But if u claim that Israel is the Land of the Jews then I hope u find a mouse hole to dig urselves in.