A coalition crisis is brewing as a Knesset discussion on a Chareidi draft law scheduled for Tuesday was pushed off indefinitely amid opposition from Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, Finance Ministry officials, coalition members, and Agudas Yisrael representatives.

The heads of the Chareidi parties met with Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the newly drafted recruitment law after Baharav-Miara informed the prime minister that she would be unable to defend the bill due to various issues. The newly drafted bill dropped the clause raising the exemption age for lomdei Torah to 35. However, it regulates the status of lomdei Torah along with establishing recruitment targets for Chareidim who aren’t learning full-time and outlines the implementation of financial sanctions on yeshivos that fail to meet their recruitment targets. The law also stipulates that a new Chareidi battalion be established in the IDF and a new civilian service security track be established.

Agudas Yisrael ministers Yitzchak Goldknopf and Meir Porush were considering not participating in the vote for the law and even voting against it because they believe that the law encourages the recruitment of bnei yeshivos and also imposes sanctions on lomdei Torah.

Also, Kan News reported on Tuesday that senior Finance Ministry officials oppose the imposition of financial sanctions on yeshivos, saying that only sanctions on individuals will be effective.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a meeting with Baharav-Miara on Tuesday to try to reach an understanding on the issues but the meeting ended without results. Baharav-Miara is demanding that the law include specific figures for recruitment targets but the Chareidi MKs will not allow that.

Other members of the coalition are also opposed to the law and Netanyahu is currently holding a series of discussions with coalition members to try to reach a consensus. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is currently in Washington, even reportedly instructed senior members of his ministry not to cooperate with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office on the issue, fearing that a decision will be made while he is in the States. Gallant denied the reports.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)