From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
In apparent swipe over Haredi draft exemption bill, Edelstein invites PM to committee discussions
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein appears to swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-Orthodox allies over the contentious Haredi draft exemption bill.
“There is only one place where a conscription law is drafted, and that is in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” Edelstein writes on X. “We start working on the wording of the sections on Wednesday, everyone is invited — from citizens to the prime minister.”
The statement comes as the Kan public broadcaster reports that ministers were told by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs at the most recent cabinet meeting that “we achieved a significant breakthrough on the way to [the bill’s] approval.”
According to the Walla news site, Netanyahu has been holding talks on the matter in recent days with Haredi leaders.
Netanyahu has warned Edelstein that his promise to advance the bill only “with broad agreement” puts the government at risk of falling.
The Times of Israel Community.