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Coalition heads to meet on Haredi threats to quit over draft law
'The Haredim are serial crisis-creators. They don't want a draft law, they want draft dodging,' coalition official says as party leaders are set to meet to discuss threat by Agudat Yisrael, a Hasidic faction in United Torah Judaism, to quit if bill passes in current version.
The heads of the coalition parties will meet Sunday morning to discuss a threat from Agudat Yisrael, a faction of United Torah Judaism, to quit the government over the proposed draft law.
Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages ordered its representatives in the Knesset on Thursday to quit the coalition if the new draft law is passed, unless changes are made to it to remove economic sanctions against ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who don't enlist in the IDF.
Members of the faction include Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman and Meir Porush and MKs Yisrael Eichler and Menachem Eliezer Moses.
Agudat Yisrael's Litzman, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Degel HaTorah's Gafni (צילום: EPA, אלכס קולומויסקי)
Senior officials in the coalition said this was a radical decision made by UTJ's Hasidic faction, which has no backing among UTJ's other MKs or among the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox MKs from Shas.
"The Haredim are serial crisis-creators, mostly because of the Ger Hasidic dynasty," a senior coalition official said. "They don't want a draft law, they want draft dodging. It's hard to see the government fall in this Knesset session, but with the Ger Hasidim anything can happen."
MK Moshe Gafni, of UTJ's Degel HaTorah faction, said Friday that "the draft law is fine," exposing the disagreements inside UTJ.
UTJ officials expressed support of the proposed legislation on Saturday night as well.
"We have a responsibility for every one of these guys (the yeshiva students), and we won't allow for September 1 to arrive without a law being in place," one said.
The current draft law expires on September 1. If a new one is not passed in its place, all ultra-Orthodox men of age are expected to receive draft orders.
"On this issue, each party receives instructions from its Torah Sages. Degel HaTorah's Council of Torah Sages will also discuss the topic in the coming days, and we will accept their decision," said MK Uri Maklev.
