Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs said on Thursday that he believed the coalition would be able to secure a majority to pass the contentious haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft bill, amid mounting opposition within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition from lawmakers warning that the legislation would do little to resolve the IDF’s manpower crisis.
Fuchs made the remarks in a Thursday Kan Reshet Bet interview, the day after the haredi draft bill returned to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for debate after being stalled for months.
Progress on the legislation resumed hours before the bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its preliminary reading amid the crisis in the coalition with haredi parties over the bill. The tensions began last week when Netanyahu told the haredi parties that no majority existed to pass the bill, which caused them to push for the Knesset's dissolution.
Fuchs expressed confidence that the coalition would ultimately secure the necessary majority, noting that other controversial legislation had appeared not to have a majority at first, but ultimately passed
He used as an example the death penalty for the terrorists bill, which was sponsored by the Otzma Yehudit party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Fuchs explained that there were lawmakers in the coalition who objected to the death penalty bill, but only a couple of days before the proposal was brought to a vote, a majority was secured, and it passed in March.
There are a few more lawmakers who are “on the fence” over the haredi draft bill, Fuchs said, but added he believed there would soon be enough support for it.
Fuchs dismisses Haskel comments
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) is a leading critic within the coalition against the legislation and has warned that the bill could endanger Israel’s security, as it would not enforce haredi conscription and fail to provide a solution to the IDF's manpower shortage crisis.
Fuchs dismissed comments from Haskel and from the group of coalition lawmakers who also object to the bill.
“The coalition leadership and the prime minister do not manage legislation according to what Sharren Haskel thinks," Fuchs said.
Haskel had told The Jerusalem Post this week that coalition MKs were under massive pressure to support the haredi draft bill. One aspect of the pressure was the threat to “publicly shame Likud members who vote against the law,” she said.
Another Likud source familiar with the matter told the Post that, over the weekend, the Prime Minister's Office had been counting coalition MKs expected to support the bill while holding talks aimed at securing a majority.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday said any Likud MKs who support the haredi draft bill due to pressure from Netanyahu “will not fall under the radar," vowing to put up billboards with pictures of the lawmakers, alongside the text: "Supported draft evasion during wartime."
Fuchs added in the interview that nearly 100 committee meetings were held on the bill over the past two years, and that the government’s stance was to pass the legislation.
He defended the bill, saying that it was “the only tool that will change reality," along with passing an additional bill to increase the amount of mandatory service to 36 months.
Fuchs had attended the Knesset meeting on Wednesday, where he told the panel that the government was requesting to move forward with the current outline of the legislation for its final second and third readings.
Warning of IDF manpower shortage
During that same discussion, Brig.-Gen. Shai Tayeb, head of the IDF Planning Directorate, warned that the IDF has a severe manpower shortage, and there are tens of thousands of draft evaders.
Tayeb said 12,000 soldiers were needed to fill the manpower gap. By January 2027, when enlistees serving 30 months will be discharged, this gap is expected to widen to about 17,000.
Advancing the bill again after progress was halted on it was believed to be Netanyahu’s final effort to persuade the haredi parties not to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset, which set in motion a process to move the election date slightly forward from October 27.
Critics of the haredi draft bill say it is primarily intended to appease the haredi parties in the coalition and would do little to increase enlistment.
Haredi party leaders have pushed for legislation that would not increase haredi enlistment.
The IDF has repeatedly warned of an urgent manpower shortage, particularly after more than two years of war.
In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said the IDF could soon collapse if there is no solution to the manpower shortage.