Edelstein says defense committee to restart work on contentious Haredi draft bill

By Sam Sokol 22 January 2025, 1:19 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

MK Yuli Edelstein attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense committee meeting at the Knesset on January 22, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Likud MK Yuli Edelstein announces his committee will restart work on the government’s controversial ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill next week, with lawmakers debating specific provisions of the bill.

The legislation has long been stuck in the committee, with Edelstein insisting that he will “only produce a real conscription law that will significantly increase the IDF’s conscription base.”

Next week the committee is scheduled to hold discussions on the bill on Monday and Thursday. On Tuesday, outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is slated to address the committee in a closed hearing.