Army Minister MK Benny Gantz announced on Sunday that he intends to leave the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bill to exempt ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews from IDF conscription is passed by the Knesset.
“The people will not accept it, Parliament will not vote in favor of it, and if this law is passed, my colleagues and I will not be part of this emergency government,” he said in a statement. ” he said.
“Passing such a law would be crossing a line that would not be crossed in peacetime, but in wartime it would be like raising a black flag over it,” he added. Go beyond them and ask them to extend their service. ”
Yoav Gallant also opposes the bill.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said earlier Sunday that he opposes the bill, but did not threaten to leave the government.
He made the statement shortly before arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
A report on the bill's contents suggests a more nuanced approach, such as phasing in the recruitment of Haredi men of military age into IDF units tailored to their needs, including strict dietary laws (kashrut) and gender segregation. include. But all Haredi politicians insist that full-time yeshiva students should be granted exemptions.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.
