While the Agudas Yisrael faction of Yahadut Hatorah has threatened to break from the coalition if the current draft bill is advanced, the coalition is doing just that, pushing the bill ahead towards becoming law.

On this coming Tuesday, the committee dealing with it will address the bill, hoping to complete a final draft in time for the High Court of Justice deadline. This special committee that was established to advance the bill is headed by the coalition chairman, MK (Likud) David Amsellem and the members are representative of the various parties. The committee has about three weeks to complete its work before yet another High Court deadline has been exhausted. The current deadline is 15 January 2019.

While Agudas Yisrael remained opposed to moving ahead with the bill, both Shas and Degel Hatorah are relying on HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita, who months ago said it appears the current bill is the lesser of the evils available and it is not the time to bring down the coalition, understanding the next coalition is far less likely to be a ‘chareidi friendly’ as today’s coalition. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is walking a tightrope with a one-seat majority, and Agudas Yisrael taking advantage of the situation.

Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, from Agudas Yisrael, is viewed as the main stumbling block to advancing the bill, and it may very well come down to him deciding what he recommends to the Moetzas Gedolei Torah vis-à-vis the coalition and the draft law. The major risk is that it is highly unlikely the court will grant another extension, and if it does not, it may decide to adjudicate the matter of the chareidim and the IDF draft on its own, which would most likely not result in an outcome that would be embraced by the chareidi leaders and tzibur at large.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)