Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has once turned to the High Court of Justice to seek an extension to the deadline for legislating a new draft law. That deadline is about to run out, in the coming days, and due to the Knesset dissolving and calling for early elections, Mr. Netanyahu is asking the court to extend the deadline for three months, until July 28, 2019.

About six weeks ago, days before the deadline was to expire, the High Court extended the deadline to January 15th, and numerous previous extensions, but now, the situation has changed dramatically as the nation has moved to early elections. With Election Day set for April 9, 2019, Mr. Netanyahu feels that the requested end-of-July deadline would provide sufficient time to establish a coalition government, and then get down to the business of legislating a new draft law.

The passing of a new draft law played a major role in Mr. Netanyahu calling for early elections, and after the Yisrael Beitenu party broke from the government and leaving the coalition with a majority of one. The prime minister did not wish to continue being pulled between the chareidi parties, which were at odds with one another regarding the draft law.

Shas and Degel Hatorah feared pushing the law off to the next Knesset, which they fear will be less ‘chareidi friendly’, while Agudas Yisrael was more brazen in its attitude, unwilling to compromise and demanding a new law not be legislated until the 21st Knesset is established.

Chairman of the Yisrael Beitenu party and former defense minister in the outgoing government, Avigdor Lieberman, spoke out on Monday against Netanyahu, calling this additional concessions to the chareidim by PM Netanyahu.

Using Facebook to get his message out, Lieberman writes “There is no end to what Netanyahu’s government will do to knock down the draft law that was formulated by the defense establishment in order to advance the ‘no draft’ law as per the chareidi version”.

He insists that once again the government is turning to the High Court regarding to the law in an effort to sabotage it. He insists the bill can be passed now, during election season, as the bill is widely endorsed by the general public, and there is no reason to delay it until the summer as is being done.

Lieberman plans to also petition the High Court to prevent the court from extending the expiration date to legislate a draft law.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)