From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Ultra-Orthodox parties continue legislative boycott amid anger over stalled draft deferment bill
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"
The ultra-Orthodox parties’ legislative boycott continues for a second day in a row, forcing the coalition to remove its bills from the Knesset agenda.
In a message to party lawmakers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud states that they are “free for today” but must attend tomorrow’s plenum session in order to vote against opposition-backed bills.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties are boycotting the plenum to protest the lack of advancement on legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) is expected soon to unveil a revised conscription bill but has not yet done so, angering the Haredim.
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