From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 28, 2024
Likud’s Edelstein indicates he’ll push for a law that drafts Haredim to the army
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, appears to send the message that he will push for the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, tweeting a clip from Channel 14 in which a pundit says the veteran Likud lawmaker “will legislate a law that [says that] what the army wants — the army will get.”
The pundits are “telling the whole story in 10 seconds,” Edelstein tweets.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has previously stated that the establishment of additional Haredi battalions within the IDF is a “definite need,” noting the difficulties faced by reservists who “have been away from home for almost eight months with few breaks.”
Earlier this week, Edelstein said that his committee would not pass an ultra-Orthodox enlistment bill without reaching a broad consensus, causing concern among Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Haredi allies that he will act against their interests.
The ultra-Orthodox are seeking to prevent the enlistment of yeshiva students following a High Court ruling that their exemptions are no longer in force and that they must be drafted.
