Government loses majority for vote on daycare subsidies for Haredi draft evaders

The coalition has lost the votes it needs to pass the controversial so-called Daycare Law being pushed by the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party to preserve subsidies for Haredi draft-evaders, Hebrew-language media reports.

Two lawmakers from the far-right Religious Zionism party — Moshe Solomon and Ohad Tal —  reportedly declare that they will not vote for the legislation.

Last night, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, declared he will not back the bill.

The Walla news site says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fearing a break with his ally the United Torah Judaism party on the matter, is working to pressure lawmakers from both the coalition and opposition to vote for the legislation.

Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the chairman of the coalition’s New Hope party, said his party, holding four seats, will vote against the legislation when it comes up for a Knesset vote, and Religious Zionism MK Ofir Sofer and Likud MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz have also said they will not vote for the legislation.

That would mean 10 lawmakers would be expected to vote against the bill. The coalition holds an eight-seat majority, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also widely expected to vote against the law.

The cabinet advanced the proposed law on Sunday in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The bill will now head to the Knesset for a vote in a preliminary reading, likely tomorrow.

The legislation, which was submitted last week, aims to guarantee that the children of ultra-Orthodox men who are obligated to perform military service, but have not done so, will continue to be eligible for state-funded daycare subsidies.

It aims to circumvent a High Court of Justice ruling that such financial support is illegal in cases where the father should be serving in the Israel Defense Forces but is not.

The bill is highly controversial, with critics asserting that it would continue to encourage ultra-Orthodox men not to perform military service even as the IDF faces severe manpower shortages after a yearlong multifront war against the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups.