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Monday, December 16, 2024
Edelstein warns coalition bosses against trying to bypass his committee on Haredi draft
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam 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"
Responding to reports that the heads of the coalition’s constituent parties are working on a compromise regarding the military enlistment of previously exempted ultra-Orthodox men, Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein warns against any attempt to bypass the powerful Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee he heads.
A bill dealing with the issue of Haredi enlistment has been stuck in Edelstein’s committee for months. Edelstein says he won’t allow it to advance unless lawmakers reach a wide consensus on the issue, and his comments reflect worries that the coalition may now be attempting to pass the legislation with an end run around his committee.
Addressing a meeting of the committee attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Edelstein notes that there has been “all kinds of talk about agreements behind the committee’s back.”
Even if the coalition leaders manage to agree on a compromise, any legislation will need the committee’s approval.
“There is no such thing [as going] behind the committee’s back. The law will reach the committee and be discussed, including changes and adjustments,” he insists.
The Times of Israel Community.