MK Dan Illouz (Likud) told a Knesset committee debate on the Torah Study Basic Law that the military draft bill 'could have enlisted' Haredi yeshiva students if 'necessary changes' were introduced to turn it from a fake law into a real one. Illouz said he would have voted in favor, but no agreement was reached on those changes.
MK Dan Illouz, a Likud legislator who has consistently voted against the Torah Study Basic Law, offered a new perspective during a Knesset committee debate on the bill. According to a report from N12, Illouz stated that the military draft law — the legislation governing conscription of yeshiva students — could have been effective if the coalition had agreed to amendments he deemed necessary. He argued that the current version is a 'fake law' and said he would have voted for a genuine reform. The remarks mark a notable shift in Illouz's public stance: while he has previously condemned the Torah Study Basic Law as 'a spit in the face of the serving public,' he now frames the original draft bill as salvageable with specific changes. The Torah Study Basic Law, which would codify exemptions for yeshiva students, remains a flashpoint in coalition politics, with Illouz and a small number of Likud rebels opposing their own government's flagship legislation.
As The Zioneer has reported, Illouz voted against the bill during preliminary Knesset votes on June 9-10, and has been one of the most vocal Likud critics of the legislation. His latest comments suggest that his opposition is rooted in the bill's content rather than a blanket rejection of military-service exemptions.
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