Report: Government to present new Haredi conscription law, in effort to bring Shas back into the fold

The coalition is expected to present its proposal for an ultra-Orthodox draft exemption law in the coming days, in an attempt to bring the Haredi Shas party back into the government, Channel 12 reports.

Shas lawmakers resigned from the government in July over the issue of Haredi military conscription but remained members of the coalition, unlike United Torah Judaism, which resigned from both the government and the coalition, and moved to the opposition.

The reported attempt to draw Shas back into the government comes ahead of the Knesset’s winter session, which begins later this month.

According to Channel 12, the proposed draft exemption law will be based on a softened version of a bill regulating mandatory enlistment requirements within the ultra-Orthodox community, which was presented to Haredi lawmakers earlier this year.

The watered-down bill was presented on the eve of Israel’s war with Iran back in June, but it never moved forward, and the following month, both Shas and UTJ resigned from the government.

Since then, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, who is in favor of imposing strong sanctions against Haredi draft dodgers, was removed from his position as chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and replaced with Likud MK Boaz Bismuth.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to bring Shas back into the fold to bolster his fragile government, Channel 12 reports, as he is concerned that his far-right allies, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, may still bolt over the deal to end the war in Gaza.