Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party set to support controversial Haredi draft exemption bill – reports

Following a consultation with his party’s rabbis, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism faction will support the coalition’s controversial ultra-Orthodox military draft exemption law, Hebrew media reports.

According to the Walla news site, the decision came after senior national-religious rabbis affiliated with the party expressed doubts regarding the IDF’s ability to absorb ultra-Orthodox recruits — pointing to what they said were issues with the conditions faced by members of their own community — and called on Smotrich to continue negotiations over the bill so that he can publicly endorse the legislation soon.

In addition, the rabbis stressed the need to keep the government from falling and to maintain political ties with Likud and the Haredi parties.

Public broadcaster Kan reports that the rabbis made their decision despite strong opposition to the legislation from Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer, who last week slammed the “shameful law” and pledged to vote against it, even if it costs him his position in the cabinet.

Several hours after Sofer’s comments, Smotrich announced that he would “not compromise on a conscription law that does not bring real change on the ground,” adding that his party would request changes to the law and may support it down the line.

According to Kan, in an effort to bring Smotrich on board, the coalition is considering amending a clause in the bill that allows up to ten percent of Haredi draftees to serve in non-military security services, such as the Shin Bet or Mossad. That clause also faces legal hurdles on the grounds of inequality.

Supporting the bill is likely to be a highly unpopular move within the national-religious community that comprises Smotrich’s voter base, a sector that highly values military service and that Smotrich has previously said paid a disproportionate price during the war.