Haredi factions say PM’s office offered to rush draft exemption bill; top rabbi: ‘No political games’

Political sources within Haredi parties claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office offered to resume discussions in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as early as tomorrow to hold a vote advancing the coalition’s long-delayed Haredi draft exemption bill to its final two readings in the Knesset.

Speaking to the ultra-Orthodox Kikar HaShabbat news site, Haredi political sources say Netanyahu is looking to postpone elections until October, while the Haredim want a September date during the High Holidays.

“What do you do when you want to buy time? You inform the Haredim right now that there is a breakthrough to secure a majority when he doesn’t have a majority. They tell [the chair] to hold discussions in the committee, and according to the attorney general, at least two or three more [committee] hearings are needed” before the final readings, a Degel HaTorah source tells the site.

An Agudat Yisrael source appears to agree, telling Kikar HaShabbat that Netanyahu and his allies “are lying to the Ultra-Orthodox.”

Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael together comprise the larger United Torah Judaism party.

In a statement released in the wake of the reports, Degel HaTorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando’s office states that last night he instructed lawmakers “not to get drawn into political games and to support the dissolution of the Knesset this coming Wednesday.”

According to Kikar Hashabbat, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri told his party’s lawmakers over the weekend that “the coalition failed to deliver our most basic and crucial law” and “we have no choice but to bring about the dissolution of the Knesset and new elections as soon as possible.”

The draft exemption bill has run into significant opposition from top military officials, the Attorney General’s Office and even coalition lawmakers.

Last week, the seven-strong ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party said it would seek to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections after Netanyahu told them that there was not enough parliamentary support to pass the controversial legislation before the election.

In response, Netanyahu reportedly sought to dissuade the Haredi parties from backing a September election date, and is said to have proposed an amendment to the law to allow work on the bill to continue in the next Knesset, an idea rejected by the Haredim.