Coalition scotches Knesset agenda after Haredi parties mutiny over military conscription bill

The coalition has removed all bills from today’s Knesset agenda after the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties announced they’d boycott today’s session to protest the lack of a bill aimed at exempting yeshiva students from military service.

In an official statement, the United Torah Judaism party says “in light of the fact that the draft conscription law has not been introduced to date, contrary to commitments made… it will not vote with the coalition until the draft law is presented.”

Following the move, Likud sends a message to all party lawmakers: “You are free for today. Regarding the rest of the week – an announcement will come.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says a statement after the pulling of the bills, “The coalition has stopped functioning. They don’t have a majority among the people. They don’t have a majority in the Knesset.” He calls for early elections.

The Shas-UTJ decision not to vote with the coalition marks a significant escalation, following a previous partial legislative boycott in which the Haredi parties refused to vote on private member bills advanced by coalition lawmakers.

According to Haredi media, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri told party lawmakers today that Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein had sought to change elements of a compromise he reached with the Haredi factions weeks ago.

“Yuli Edelstein said he was done with the wording of the law and now it’s stuck with the committee’s legal adviser. They’re laughing at us. Not only will we not vote on bills, we won’t enter the plenum at all. They tried to tempt us with promoting a law on rabbinical courts — and we refused,” Haredi sources tell Kan radio.