Internal divisions continue to plague coalition regarding Haredi enlistment bill

A senior ultra-Orthodox coalition official reportedly rejects Defense Minister Israel Katz’s promise to pass a law that will draft thousands of Haredi men to the military.

Katz said today that he’ll advance legislation that will “be a historic turning point and will recruit tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox to meaningful service in the IDF, for the first time since the establishment of the state.”

According to the Ynet news site, a senior official in the Agudat Yisrael faction of the United Torah Judaism party said that even though political officials have said they agree to the quotas of people to be enlisted, the faction’s spiritual leaders — who determine how its lawmakers vote — will not agree to the law currently drafted.

“The law talks about a goal of 50% enlistment out of yeshiva students in each age group, and we can’t agree to such numbers,” the source is quoted as saying. “If needed, we won’t hesitate to clash with the state to defend the world of Torah.”

Ynet also reports that the bill will not come up for discussion next week at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, after committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) published an agenda that excludes such discussions sought by party colleague Katz. Edelstein has been demanding that the law be passed with broad agreement.

Likud has reportedly promised the Haredi parties to expedite the discussions on the legislation.