The Prime Minister’s Office announced overnight Friday that “significant progress” has been made in negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on the draft law. The statement followed a meeting that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud), former Minister Ariel Atias (Shas), and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox.
The discussion focused on resolving the remaining disagreements over the regulation of yeshiva students’ status. It was noted that efforts are underway to finalize the details before Shabbat.
The draft law remains at the center of a deep-seated political crisis within the right-wing coalition, with mounting tensions between the Haredi parties and other coalition members threatening to destabilize the government. Key issues still need to be resolved before the legislation can be finalized.
The current version of the draft law, based on a 2022 framework, passed its first reading in the Knesset in June 2024 by a narrow margin of 63 to 57. It is now being prepared for its second and third readings in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Yuli Edelstein, who has taken an increasingly firm stance on the enforcement measures included in the bill.
EDELSTEIN’S AMBUSH
In a Friday column for Israel Hayom, journalist Mati Tuchfeld described Chairman Edelstein’s actions as a calculated political ambush that caught Haredi representatives and the prime minister’s inner circle off guard.
Tuchfeld wrote that Edelstein had effectively lulled the Haredi parties into a false sense of security, stalling for months while giving the appearance of cooperation. Behind the scenes, he allowed legal advisors to draft a version of the conscription law that politicians were meant to shape and approve. During this time, Edelstein conducted numerous meetings focused on a version of the law that had already passed a first reading under the previous government—meetings that Tuchfeld described as fruitless.
Then, at the last possible moment—just as the Haredi parties’ ultimatum on dissolving the government expired—Edelstein revealed what Tuchfeld called a “draconian and pointless” proposal that the Haredim would never accept, not even partially.
According to Haredi sources, the list of sanctions demanded by Edelstein to be included in the draft law targeting conscription evaders is extensive and unprecedented including denial of driver’s licenses; a ban on traveling abroad; cancellation of property tax discounts; removal of tax credit points on pay slips; disqualification from affordable housing programs; imposition of a purchase tax even on first-time homebuyers; revocation of subsidies for academic studies; elimination of dormitory subsidies; and removal of public transportation discounts.
This goes to show you that you can get the refusenik out of the Soviet Union, but you can’t get the Soviet Union out of the refusenik.
Haredi representatives claim that Edelstein introduced these harsh conditions only recently, despite never proposing them in earlier discussions. As a result, they chose not to wait for further negotiations with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Instead, the senior rabbinic leadership—who, according to United Torah Judaism, has the final say—issued directives supporting either a withdrawal from the coalition, the passage of a law to dissolve the Knesset or both.
The Haredi parties are placing blame not solely on Edelstein, but also on the prime minister, holding both responsible for the current crisis.
HAREDI PUSHBACK
The move not only shocked Haredi leaders but also surprised other coalition members, who, according to Tuchfeld, underestimated Edelstein’s willingness to mislead until it was too late to make changes.
Edelstein, Tuchfeld argued, is betting on the fact that few will scrutinize the fine print, especially given a public mood increasingly critical of the Haredi sector and a media landscape hostile to the government. For over a year, Tuchfeld wrote, Edelstein has seen himself as being in a “win-win” position—and he may not be wrong: if the Haredi parties blink first, Edelstein becomes an instant national hero; if they bring down the coalition government, Edelstein gets a chance to defeat Netanyahu in a race for the premiership.
Arieh Erlich, editor of Mishpacha Magazine, tweeted late Thursday night: “Behind the current crisis, a dramatic claim has emerged: according to sources close to the Haredi leadership, a message was received at the home of one of Israel’s senior rabbis indicating that MK Yuli Edelstein was acting in full coordination with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The alleged arrangement reportedly included a promise of a senior position for Edelstein in Bennett’s future political party.
“This revelation is believed to have been the driving force behind Edelstein’s push for what the Haredim describe as extreme and punitive sanctions—measures that, in their view, are designed to collapse the current government. In response, there were reportedly quiet contacts and coordination between Haredi officials and a confidant of Bennett regarding a softened version of the conscription law, to be advanced under a future government led by Bennett.”
On Thursday, the Agudat Yisrael Council of Torah Scholars convened for the first time since 2023 and issued a series of formal resolutions in response to the ongoing conscription law crisis.
The council firmly stated that it would not accept any legislative proposal that included forced conscription, quotas, or sanctions. It outlined several core, non-negotiable principles:
Torah Study as a Supreme Value: The council emphasized that throughout history, Jews have risked their lives to uphold Torah study, declaring, “Only the Torah has saved the people of Israel.”
Total Opposition to Forced Conscription: The rabbis insisted that yeshiva students, for whom Torah study is their life’s calling, must be allowed to continue learning without interference, for as long as they choose.
Rejection of Sanctions: The council categorically rejected all forms of institutional or personal sanctions against the yeshiva world.
Call to Dissolve the Knesset: Citing the violation of coalition agreements and damage to the Torah world, the council instructed Agudat Yisrael Knesset members to advance legislation for the immediate dissolution of the Knesset.
Message to Yeshiva Students: The council urged students not to be discouraged by any calls for forced enlistment: “Strengthen yourselves through Torah study, for it is our life and the length of our days.”
