On Tuesday, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened to discuss the chareidi draft law, with the Defense Minister participating in the session. The meeting quickly escalated into a heated argument between coalition and opposition members, leading to a reservist being escorted out after shouting, “I lost dozens of soldiers, and you’re talking about unity?”

During the debate, MK Yinon Azoulay of Shas raised concerns, stating: “I’m not sure the army can absorb all the chareidim, nor does it want to. We were told there’s capacity for 3,000. The Chief of Staff stated that without public agreement, it wouldn’t succeed. You can send 80,000 draft orders, but even those who enlist wouldn’t come in such a case. I want to support the minister because, without agreement, nothing will help.”

Azoulay also remarked, “Sanctions are being discussed, and I want to remind the previous government that they tried to buy us with a lot of money, and that didn’t work. You were in the coalition and didn’t bring a draft law because you knew you couldn’t do it without agreement. There’s no quota for Torah study; this is a Jewish state.”

MK Gadi Eisenkot of National Unity shared his perspective, saying, “We’re witnessing a discourse that was present ten years ago, and the reality has changed dramatically. The security reality created by the events on October 7 means there won’t be a normal routine in the coming years, but an emergency routine. The regular force will need to be very large for border defense and in Judea and Samaria.”

He went on to explain, “This law aims to correct a historical moral error that occurred in 1977 through a coalition agreement between Likud and Agudas Yisrael. The law created a distorted reality and harmed both Judaism and mutual responsibility among citizens.” Eisenkot concluded by stressing, “What’s at stake is our shared future in the State of Israel. If no correction comes in the near future, it will be a turning point for shared life in Israel, leading us to not good places. Everyone needs to understand this.”

{Matzav.com Israel}