As Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pushes to pass the new draft law within a month to stabilize his coalition, deep divisions are emerging among the chareidi factions, with Agudas Yisroel MK Yitzchok Goldknopf expected to vote against the legislation.
Netanyahu has instructed senior coalition leaders and MK Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to expedite the passage of the bill regulating the status of yeshiva students. The prime minister’s goal is to pass the law through its second and third readings within four weeks, a key step to prevent the coalition from fracturing and triggering early elections.
Over the past few days, the heads of the chareidi parties — Shas, Degel HaTorah, and Agudas Yisroel — have been holding consultations with their respective rabbinic leadership. According to political sources, Shas and Degel HaTorah are expected to approve the new version of the bill, including several legal modifications required by the Knesset committee’s legal advisor, Miri Frenkel-Shor.
Shas insiders reveal that despite initial hesitation, the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah will support a bill that “protects Yavneh and its scholars — those who truly learn — even if it results in the enlistment of those who are not learning, as long as it is within frameworks suited to the chareidi sector.”
The legal aspect of the legislation, however, remains a sticking point. Lawmakers from the chareidi factions acknowledge that without Frenkel-Shor’s approval, the High Court is likely to strike down the bill or issue an injunction preventing it from taking effect. To that end, representatives of Shas and Degel HaTorah are currently negotiating with the committee’s legal team to reach a mutually acceptable draft.
Meanwhile, in Agudas Yisroel, the picture is far less unified. Senior officials from the party say that the faction is likely to split its vote when the bill reaches the Knesset floor. MK Yitzchok Goldknopf and MK Yitzchok Tesler are both expected to oppose it.
A source close to Goldknopf explained his stance: “We will not support a law that includes quotas and sanctions. This is an unprecedented bill, with recruitment targets reaching half of each draft cycle — completely against the position of our gedolei hador. We will vote against it.”
