Chairman of the Kulanu coalition party, Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon, feels the current situation regarding the draft law and Agudas Yisrael will result in early elections. In fact, he feels a solution to the draft law stalemate will not be found before the two-week deadline announced by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu runs out, and therefore, early elections are on the horizon.

Speaking to Ynet, the senior minister admitted he is pessimistic in this case, as he doesn’t see any sign of flexibility from Litzman or his faction. He added, “politically speaking, no one wants elections over the draft law, as we all prefer to pass the hot potato to the next term. Politically, I do not understand this. I remain committed to the coalition agreements. It is easy for me. I know what I signed and what I will approve”.

He added, “There are no games here. We are currently in September, and soon we are finishing the fourth year – and it could be that the time has come … After all, there is an end to everything – four years is a beautiful period – and we can go to elections”.

Yesh Lapid chairman MK Yair Lapid is not wasting much time, and already arrived at the induction center at the Tel Hashomer base with a grave face in order to make his political tour and to incite against the chareidi tzibur and the lomdei torah who do not serve in the IDF.

Lapid called on the prime minister to pass the draft law or to go to elections: “We came to the induction center on the day of the August induction to tell the prime minister: Mr. Netanyahu, let’s pass the law or let’s go to elections. This law can be passed. You have our voices. The voices of Yesh Atid have assured you to pass this law. We do not have to give in to the chareidim again. There is no reason to be disgraced once again before Litzman and the Gerrer Rebbe.

According to Lapid, “This is a good law, it will lead to the fact that many more chareidim will enlist, many more chareidim will join the workforce. We will see here, at the induction center, young chareidim with our children, all with draft orders in hand. Also, their mothers will cry as the bus left the plaza. It’s a good law and we have to pass it.”

לא צריך שוב להכנע לחרדים, אפשר להעביר את חוק הגיוס. pic.twitter.com/gBmRiVFFVb

— יאיר לפיד Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 13, 2018

Lapid referred to the demonstrations of the Peleg Yerushalmi and said, “I heard them shouting at the chareidi demonstrations, and they shout, ‘We will die and we will not enlist.'” Those who might die are not the draft dodgers. Those who might die are those who enlist in the combat units. These amazing young men who pass through here and enlist in the IDF.

“What will I say to them? What will I say to my son, who has been in for three years if the prime minister releases the chareidim again because of political blackmail, because everything is about political survival? What will I say to them and how will I tell them?”

Lapid conditioned his backing of the law to presenting the law with the wording approved by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, not an amended version. Lapid concluded saying. “The law must be passed as is, in its current language. We must not change even a single letter. The Defense Minister guaranteed this in his own voice, that there would not be any changes and no changes are necessary. You have the backing of Yesh Atid to pass the bill into law Mr. Netanyahu. Come and let’s pass the draft law of let’s go to elections”.

On the other hand, Bayit Yehudi Chairman Minister Naftali Bennett referred to the renewed crisis surrounding the draft law and the possibility that this would lead to the dissolution of the Knesset and early elections. “We have to decide in the government whether we are going to elections,” he said. The draft law is not a problem as the version is already on the table.”

Bennett admitted that “there are no formal agreements, and there is still more pressure from here and there, but I think the entire State of Israel already agrees that the chareidim must be recruited in a very gradual manner, with moderate goals. These are solvable things, if there is good will. Everyone knows what the solution is.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)