Economy Minister Nir Barkat on Wednesday joined a group of Members of Knesset who have said that they will oppose a bill being prepared in the Knesset to regulate the issue of haredi IDF service if it did not meet the IDF's needs.
Barkat, who views himself as the next leader of the Likud, published the letter on a day when crisis broke out in the coalition over Netanyahu dropping a bill that was important to Shas.
"To win the war, the IDF needs more soldiers. Without victory in battle, there is no country and no Torah. As a paratrooper officer who led soldiers into battle, risking their lives, I salute the IDF soldiers and pledge to be worthy of their sacrifice and devotion," Barkat said in a statement.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a video responding to Barkat's statement and to the coalition crisis earlier on Wednesday.
"We are at war on several fronts, facing great challenges and difficult decisions. Therefore, I strongly demand from all coalition partners to get yourselves together and realize the importance of the time we're in," Netanyahu's statement began.
רה"מ נתניהו קורא לראשי הקואליציה: "אני דורש בכל תוקף מכל השותפים - תתאפסו. זה לא הזמן לפוליטיקה קטנה, זה לא הזמן לחקיקה שמסכנת את הקואליציה שנלחמת למען ניצחון על אויבינו"@gilicohen10 @AmichaiStein1(צילום: רועי אברהם, לע"מ) pic.twitter.com/PKR1YaAs3a
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 19, 2024
A house united
"This is not the time for petty politics, nor the time for legislation that endangers the coalition fighting for victory over our enemies," he continued. "We must all focus solely on the tasks before us: defeating Hamas, returning all our abductees, and returning our residents safely to their homes, both in the North and in the South. So I demand everyone to put aside any other consideration. Put aside any side interest. Stand as one man, together, behind our fighters."
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC) began work on Tuesday to amend a version of a bill that passed its first reading in 2022, and has been described as ill-fitting to the IDF's operational needs. It's expected return to the Knesset plenum for a second and third reading.
The Likud's spokesperson responded sharply to Barkat.
"Nir Barkat is expected to treat the high cost of living and not search for excuses to topple a right-wing government during war," the spokesperson said.
Barkat responded soon after with a statement of his own.
"The state of Israel is in one the most difficult hours in its history, and my duty is to express my principles which reflects those of a majority of the Likud. If someone is interested in attacking a Likud minister over the principle of the importance of IDF service in war time – it is best that he use his name and not that of the Likud. Israel needs more soldiers in order to win the war. Without victory, there is no state and no Torah," Barkat said.