Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of the War Cabinet and a member of Bibi’s Likud party, is set to vote against the Rule of Continuity for the Charedi draft law, according to the Jerusalem Post. Often, voting against a bill is considered a resignation by a Minister, so it will be interesting to see if Gallant’s involvement in the current Government continues moving forward.
The Rule of Continuity allows the Knesset to advance a bill that was previously passed in a first reading, but was stopped due to the Knesset’s dissolution. If the Rule of Continuity is passed, Bibi will be able to advance the Charedi draft law that was first brought up by the Lapid-Bennet Government in 2022.
In the 2022 bill, the exemption age would rise to 22 after two years and would be subsequently raised to 23 one year later.
Additionally, a 21-year-old Charedi man would be able to join the national emergency and rescue system. The bill presented two routes for Charedim to enlist in the IDF: a shortened service of three weeks or three months, after which soldiers would be transferred to reserve duty.
The 2022 bill also proposed setting recruitment aims, which could result in financial sanctions against Yeshivas if the recruitment targets are not met. It is important to note the bill does not include sanctions against individuals who refuse to serve.
The sanctioning of Yeshivas in the bill if their Talmidim refuse to enlist was to be a gradual process, beginning with a 20% decrease in budget, which would grow following several consecutive years of failing to meet the targets.
{Matzav.com}