Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot said Sunday morning that the only bill the Knesset should advance this week is a law for immediate dissolution. He accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of cynically pushing a so-called 'Basic Law: Torah Study' — which Eisenkot called a cover for draft evasion — rather than pursuing genuine unity.
Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot made a sharp political intervention Sunday morning, calling on the Knesset to dissolve itself immediately rather than advance the coalition's proposed Basic Law: Torah Study. In a statement carried by N12, Eisenkot said Netanyahu's push for the legislation — aimed at enshrining a sweeping draft exemption for yeshiva students — was a cynical maneuver at the expense of core Israeli values, and that anyone trying to pass an "evasion bill" under a sanitized title does not truly want unity.
Eisenkot's remarks follow weeks of escalating intra-coalition tensions over Haredi draft legislation. As The Zioneer has reported, Haredi parties have issued ultimatums to Netanyahu threatening to dissolve the Knesset if the bill is not passed. Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff and former war cabinet minister, leads the centrist Yashar party and has been a vocal critic of blanket exemptions for yeshiva students. His statement came a day after Netanyahu, in a late-night address, spoke of a desire for national unity — a call Eisenkot dismissed as insincere given the coalition's legislative agenda.
- StrongHaredi parties issue ultimatum to Netanyahu: pass Torah Study law or face Knesset dissolution
- DevelopingKnesset dissolution vote expected this week; Haredi legislation set to be buried
- StrongOpposition leaders blast Basic Law on Torah study after preliminary Knesset vote
- StrongMajority of Netanyahu bloc party leaders back dissolving Knesset this week
Source and signal
- Internal intake