On Wednesday, Rabbi Dov Landau, leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community, instructed Knesset members from the Lithuanian Degel HaTorah faction of United Torah Judaism to support legislation to dissolve the Knesset, amid ongoing disputes over the issue of Haredi military conscription.
At the Finance Committee meeting Wednesday morning, MK Naor Shiri (Yesh Atid) addressed committee chairman Moshe Gafni, leader of the Lithuanian faction in UTJ, asking, “Is this the last meeting for this Knesset session?” MK Gafni responded, “It could be. It’s not an unfounded possibility.”
The opposition closely monitored the deadline set by the Haredim for the government, which was after Shavuot, but no bill to dissolve the Knesset was submitted. In any case, the bill cannot be brought to a preliminary reading before next week.
Meanwhile, a Tuesday night meeting between Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) and representatives of the Haredi factions regarding the conscription law lasted several hours but concluded without reaching an agreement.
Political sources note that Edelstein insists recruitment targets apply solely to fighters and combat support roles, which excludes national service, police, MDA, or rescue organizations from the quota. He also calls for the implementation of effective and meaningful sanctions.
According to BeHadrei Haredim, a senior United Torah Judaism official on Wednesday sharply criticized MK Edelstein, saying, “Yesterday, he introduced extreme and unprecedented demands compared to recent months—stances that treat Torah scholars in a worse way than Eritrean infiltrators. With such sanctions, how can we be partners with him?”
According to a statement from Edelstein’s office, the meeting was conducted in a positive atmosphere, and further discussions have been scheduled. However, private sources highlight that significant differences persist, particularly regarding the sanctions proposed in the draft law—an issue Edelstein has described as critical.
Edelstein insists on imposing personal sanctions on yeshiva students who fail to meet recruitment targets—including those whose Torah study is their vocation—a demand that many in the Haredi community see as crossing a red line.
Rabbi Dov Lando, 95, serves as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak and is a member of the Board of Yeshivas directorate. Following the passing of Rav Gershon Edelstein, he assumed the role of chairman of the Council of Sages in Israel alongside Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch.
A devout anti-Zionist, Rabbi Lando has described Zionism as “a movement aimed at establishing the Jewish people on a distinctly secular foundation, rooted in heresy and rebellion against divine sovereignty.” He has also written that participation in Zionist organizations like the World Zionist Organization results in the “desecration of God’s name.”
A senior coalition official said Wednesday morning: “While the Haredim continue to compromise repeatedly, it is Edelstein who has decided to dissolve the government. He refuses to pass the conscription law and risks ushering in a left-wing government during a critical security period.”
Maayan Samun, spokesperson for Chairman Edelstein, responded: “If conscripting Haredim during a home-front war—when my brothers are exhausted from reserve duty, families are breaking down, and couples are divorcing due to the strain—is labeled ‘personal revenge,’ then I fully support that revenge.”
