Knesset committee again fails to pass measure to extend emergency reservist call-up period

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee fails to pass a measure to extend the government’s ability to issue emergency call-up orders for IDF reservists, after Likud MK Amit Halevi unexpectedly voted against the measure.

Halevi joined six other lawmakers in opposing the motion, while only four MKs voted for.

“If soldiers die, I cannot vote in favor,” Halevi tells Channel 12, signaling frustration with the government’s military strategy.

The vote came at the end of a closed-door Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting chaired by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein and attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who presented a wide-ranging security briefing.

In the classified session, Katz outlined the military’s continued strategy in Gaza, plans for northern border deterrence, and a renewed push to enforce conscription among ultra-Orthodox men.

He also stated that no humanitarian aid is currently entering Gaza and emphasized that any future aid would undergo strict scrutiny to prevent it from reaching Hamas.

Today’s vote marks the second time in recent days that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has failed to garner enough support to approve the government’s emergency call-up of tens of thousands of additional reservists for the war in Gaza.

After the measure initially fell in a committee vote last week, it was then voted on for a second time and passed, but with the extension limited to just seven days. Therefore, the measure must be approved by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday in order to take effect.

Sam Sokol contributed to this report