Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and UTJ chairman Moshe Gafni said in a joint statement Tuesday that they demanded immediate advancement of the Basic Law: Torah Study and a bill freezing arrests of yeshiva students. The two warned they will support dissolving the Knesset as early as next week if no practical steps are taken. Netanyahu committed to advancing the legislation, according to the statement.
The ultimatum from the two senior Haredi leaders marks a sharp escalation in the coalition crisis over Haredi legislative demands. As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday, Netanyahu met with Deri and Gafni amid an ongoing threat by the parties to bring down the government unless their flagship bills advance.
The joint statement — issued roughly an hour after the meeting, which their offices confirmed took place Tuesday at 17:54 Jerusalem — sets a concrete timeline: the Basic Law: Torah Study (which would constitutionally enshrine the exemption of yeshiva students from military service) and the bill freezing arrests of draft-dodging students must move through the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Knesset Committee this week. Failing that, Deri and Gafni say they will support dispersing the Knesset next week.
Netanyahu's response in the meeting — that he is committed to passing the laws — mirrors earlier pledges that fueled Haredi frustration over repeated delays. The background includes at least eight prior reports by this desk on stalled negotiations, with Deri previously conditioning all coalition support on the bills' advancement and Gafni threatening to pull support if the Knesset Committee did not give a binding commitment. The question of whether the coalition can muster the votes to pass both bills before a potential dissolution remains open.
2 developments
- StrongNetanyahu meets Deri and Gafni after coalition heads meeting canceled
- DevelopingUTJ official warns Deri is 'selling stories' to Netanyahu as daycare bill stalls
- StrongMK Moshe Gafni pushes urgent vote on Haredi draft exemption bill; Degel HaTorah blames Shas leader for delay
- StrongShas leader Deri demands Torah Study Basic Law vote as condition for coalition support
Source and signal
- Internal intake