Members of the Degel Hatorah faction of Yahadut Hatorah met with Maran Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, to explore potential solutions for the contentious Draft Law, according to sources.
Among those present at the meeting were MKs Moshe Gafni, Uri Maklev, and Yaakov Asher.
The meeting extended for nearly an hour and included not only the Draft Law but also recent developments about the expansion of the governing coalition.
Rav Landau inquired about the specifics of the Draft Law situation and its potential impact on the legislative efforts. The MKs provided him with a thorough update on the matter. The conversation later shifted to focus on the Har Habayis.
Rav Landau expressed his hope that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s reduced influence, following the expected inclusion of Gideon Sa’ar’s party in the coalition, would help maintain the current status quo at the Har Habayis, which leading poskim have maintained it is assur to ascend.
Earlier, reports emerged indicating that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was considering replacing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with MK Gideon Sa’ar, provided that Sa’ar agrees to join the coalition. Gallant has thus far resisted backing the proposed Draft Law, demanding that it gain the support of MK Benny Gantz in addition to the coalition’s approval.
A source within Yahadut Hatorah commented, “Gallant is the one standing in the way of any consensus on the Draft Law issue. His political interests are blocking us from reaching a mutually agreed-upon law, and he is also preventing the defense establishment from cooperating with the legislation that MK Yuli Edelstein is currently pushing forward. If Gallant is removed and Sa’ar takes over, we will finally be able to agree on a law that will halt the decrees targeting the Haredi community and the Torah world.”
A separate source from Agudas Yisrael emphasized, “In recent days, we have made it clear to Netanyahu that without a solution to the draft dilemma, the state budget will not pass. This message has reached the Prime Minister, and he has begun taking steps in that direction. Otherwise, his government will not survive.”
Sa’ar’s potential entry into the coalition could facilitate not only the passage of the Draft Law but also the advancement of other legislative priorities.
“Currently, Itamar Ben Gvir is blocking issues that are important to the chareidi community, such as the Rabbis Law,” said one source. “If Sa’ar joins the coalition, Ben Gvir’s obstruction will end, and we will be able to pass the laws that matter to us.”
{Matzav.com Israel}