BICOM

A new law to increase the number of ultra-Orthodox men doing military service passed its first reading in the Knesset last night.

Sixty three MKs voted in favour of the Bill, with 39 against. Most of the ultra-Orthodox MKs voted against the law. The opposition was split with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid voting in favour but the Zionist Union voting against.

The new law requires yeshivas (religious seminaries) to meet targets for military service. If they fall short their state funding will be cut. If they fail to meet the target for three consecutive years, the new law will expire and all young ultra-Orthodox men will be subject to compulsory service.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the Conscription Bill was balanced and that even the ultra-Orthodox parties realised that there was no alternative. Lieberman commended Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, saying that he had managed to ‘rise above the gimmicks and to vote based on the substance’. But Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay said Lapid and his party had “abandoned equality, securing crafty political deals” with Lieberman and the ultra-Orthodox. Lapid said that Gabbay was “playing political games rather than working for the good of the country”.

Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, from the United Torah Judaism party (UTJ) said his party would leave the coalition if the Bill passes its second and third readings in its current form.

Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that, although the ultra-Orthodox MKs spoke out fiercely against the new Conscription Bill, behind the scenes, they took steps to ensure that it would pass.

The coalition partners will hold negotiations with the ultra-Orthodox parties before the second and third readings. A government source told the paper: “If we reach understandings with the ultra-Orthodox in the next two weeks, we’ll pass it quickly and be finished with this Bill. But if we see that we can’t and the chances of that are good—we’ll go to the High Court of Justice and ask for a nine-month extension.”

The Arab MKs in the Joint List followed their convention of abstaining on internal matters connected to the Israeli military service.