In a major development amid the ongoing crisis surrounding Israel’s draft law, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s office announced early Friday morning that “significant progress” had been made in negotiations, with efforts underway to finalize an agreed-upon version of the bill before the start of Shabbos.
The statement came following a high-stakes meeting Thursday night that lasted more than seven hours, attended by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yoel (Yuli) Edelstein, former Minister Ariel Attias, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.
Sources confirmed that much of the marathon discussion revolved around the sanctions clauses Edelstein had been insisting on as part of the new draft legislation. According to insiders, Netanyahu managed to soften Edelstein’s stance, with some of the proposed sanctions expected to be dropped entirely from the final version. The parties also reached initial agreements on the timing and conditions under which any remaining sanctions would be triggered. One key understanding is that sanctions will not be enforced if the majority of draft targets are being met.
Netanyahu’s office stated: “The meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein, former minister Ariel Attias, and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs regarding the draft law has concluded. Significant progress was achieved. It was decided following the meeting that efforts will be made tomorrow to finalize the remaining outstanding matters.”
The meeting came on the heels of a decision by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel, which convened Thursday night at the residence of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Moshav Ora, near Yerushalayim. At the conclusion of the gathering, the Moetzes issued a formal declaration stating that Agudas Yisroel would support a bill to dissolve the Knesset. The decision was read aloud by the Moetzes’ secretary, declaring: “For the people dwelling in Zion in general and the chareidi public in particular, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah has determined that it is no longer appropriate to remain in a government that enables the persecution of the Torah world and violates prior agreements. The Moetzes instructs Agudas Yisroel’s Knesset members to present a bill in July to dissolve the Knesset.”
{Matzav.com Israel}