Netanyahu, Mofaz to meet again next week on universal draft legislation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz on Thursday afternoon to discuss national service legislation and while it seems the two sides seem ready to compromise in order to save the coalition, apparently no concrete results were achieved.

The two agreed to meet again next week, with reports indicating that Netanyahu now supports Kadima’s call for personal sanctions against ultra-Orthodox draft-dodgers, albeit milder sanctions than sought by Kadima.

A Channel 10 poll Thursday night found 64% of Israelis backing personal sanctions, with 25% opposed. The same poll found 46% support for Kadima leaving the coalition over the conscription law dispute, with 25% saying it should remain.

Netanyahu also met with the heads of the other coalition parties, a government official said.

Netanyahu sat with Mofaz, the vice prime minister, for about an hour. In a brief statement issued after meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said that the topic of discussion was “the advancement of legislation for equality of the national burden.”

Earlier this week, Mofaz threatened to leave the coalition if Netanyahu does not support legislation based on the recommendations of the so-called Plesner Committee. Chaired by Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner, the committee calls for drafting ultra-Orthodox men at the age of 22, with 1,500 annual exemptions for outstanding Torah scholars, and threatens those who refuse to either enlist in the military or in some sort of national service with personal sanctions.

Netanyahu, on the other hand, seeks to pass a bill that would also have Arabs serve in non-military national service.

The question of how to punish draft dodgers has been central to the Netanyahu-Mofaz dispute

A government official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Times of Israel that the state should “show appreciation” to those who serve, implying that Netanyahu opposed the idea of personal fines on draft-dodgers. But reports Thursday night suggested Netanyahu does favor sanctions of some kind.

Likud’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners steadfastly refuse any bill that calls for personal sanctions.

Mofaz said Wednesday that he’s unwilling to compromise on the key recommendations of the Plesner committee.

Some Kadima MKs issued deadlines for resolving the dispute: “If Netanyahu doesn’t adopt the Plesner Committee’s recommendations by Monday, Kadima must leave the coalition and call for early elections,” Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit said Thursday morning.