Bismuth vows to lead talks on Haredi conscription law ‘with mutual respect,’ urges all to ‘rise to the occasion’

Ahead of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s first scheduled discussion on a law regulating ultra-Orthodox enlistment under his leadership, newly appointed chairman Boaz Bismuth (Likud) tweets that he is approaching his new role “with a genuine commitment to cooperation and national responsibility,” calling on both the coalition and opposition “to rise to the occasion as well.”

“Together, with mutual respect and belief in the eternity of Israel, we will embark on a new path,” he declares, sharing a video featuring footage of Israeli troops, Haredim praying at the Western Wall, and members of the IDF’s new ultra-Orthodox battalion.

In his voiceover, taken from remarks he made in the Knesset last week, Bismuth can be heard saying that the current war requires both the coalition and opposition “to rise to the occasion, join hands and act for the people and the country.”

Bismuth insists that Israelis must “find the balance” between tradition and Torah study, on the one hand, and military service, on the other, “to reach a historic solution.”

Members of Bismuth’s committee were informed last week that they would meet to discuss advancing the government’s controversial enlistment legislation on Tuesday, in preparation for the second and third readings necessary for it to pass into law.

The Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), have been pushing hard for the passage of a bill enabling most ultra-Orthodox males to continue to avoid military conscription or other national service.

Last month, UTJ quit the coalition after being presented with a copy of a proposed enlistment bill prepared by then-committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud), which it argued had violated the terms of a supposed compromise reached in June. They were quickly followed by Shas, which, while quitting the government, has remained part of the coalition.

Edelstein’s bill would have imposed harsh sanctions on draft evaders, including the revocation of drivers’ licenses, a ban on flying abroad, a prohibition on applying for civil service jobs, an end to government subsidies for purchasing an apartment, and cancellation of discounts on public transportation, National Insurance payments, and electricity bills.

To mollify the Haredim, the coalition replaced Edelstein with Bismuth, who, according to the Ynet news site, intends to submit a new draft of the bill within weeks and hold discussions on it during the current Knesset recess to advance it when the parliament reconvenes in October.