Shas and UTJ Issue Threat: Budget Won't Pass Without New Draft Law

As agreed upon during coalition negotiations in December, the haredi parties want to adhere strictly to the legislation of the proposed bill.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently facing vehement resistance to judicial reforms and does not want to support the new draft bill since doing so will only fuel opposition and the demonstrators who have been targeting chareidim recently.

For these reasons, Netanyahu informed the leaders of the chareidi factions that he intended to postpone the new draft law, which included provisions preserving the rights of people who study Torah and permitting entry into labor at a younger age.

The upcoming Thursday has been designated as “Equality Day,” and on that day, anti-reform demonstrators plan to launch statewide demonstrations against the lack of equality in IDF conscription.

The organizers declared that “we will make protests around the country and tell the chareidi leadership that it’s over,” saying “the days in which one side serves the country and funds the yeshivos- as they try to establish a halachic dictatorship- are over.”

To give the government more time to pass the budget and complete other crucial duties, Netanyahu said he would try to persuade the High Court to extend the deadline for enacting a new draft law.

The chareidi parties are outraged that Netanyahu violated a crucial provision of the coalition agreement by linking the budget to the passage of the proposed law, but they have not yet responded to him.