Likud rebels voice concerns as Knesset committee begins discussing new IDF Draft Law bill

With the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee set to start discussing the latest proposal for a new IDF Draft Law on Monday, several prominent coalition members indicated their strident opposition to the new bill presented by committee chairman, Boaz Bismuth, last week.

The coalition currently only has a razor-thin majority in the Knesset, giving every coalition lawmaker who votes against the bill the power to derail the passing of the controversial law.

Bismuth’s predecessor as committee chairman and fellow Likud party Knesset member, Yuli Edelstein, while speaking to The Times of Israel last week, warned that the coalition would exert significant pressure on the few dissenting members.

Likud MK Dan Illouz published a long statement on Sunday, demanding several changes to the bill and warning that he could not support its current formulation.

Illouz wrote that the proposal would not only fail to bring about necessary changes but also “undermine the progress already achieved.”

He strongly criticized the proposed sanctions for draft dodgers as a “collection of toothless threats,” which would further harm the socioeconomic integration of the ultra-Orthodox population.

Bismuth’s new bill broadens the definition of “ultra-Orthodox men” and the military service, and would restore funds for religious schools before the first recruitment targets are met.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, whose New Hope party recently re-joined the Likud, said that the new draft “is another attempt to provide a political remedy for an existential security problem. It does not provide a real solution to the IDF's manpower challenge and damages the social cohesion of the State of Israel.”

She said she cannot support “legislation that will harm the motivation and morale of soldiers at the front and the sense of justice. My affiliation with the national camp requires me to prioritize Israel's security and engage in critical thinking.”

The new draft was presented on Thursday after weeks-long negotiations with the senior Rabbinic leadership of the Haredi parties. It immediately received broad criticism from the opposition, while some voices in the coalition warned that the High Court would strike it down.

Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Legal Advisor Miri Frenkel Shor reportedly said the bill wasn’t a proper conscription law, warning that neither she nor the High Court would approve it without further changes, according to Channel 13.

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who resigned his Knesset seat after being fired last January, told Channel 12 he had fought for a strong draft law throughout his tenure.

He slammed the new bill as a “grave departure from Israel’s Zionist path.”

“No less grave is that the person who is spearheading it is from the main Zionist party, the Likud movement, which has reached a new low in this matter,” he added.

Gallant emphasized that, given the current demographic growth among the Haredi population, the bill could mean that within 15 years, only one in three Jewish males will enlist in the army. “We can’t allow ourselves this from a security perspective,” said the former general.