Future of haredi draft law to shift as new FADC chair Bismuth calls for 'new path'
Even more questions surround the future of the controversial haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription bill in the aftermath of MK Boaz Bismuth's appointment as the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman.
MK Yuli Edelstein, who had led the efforts to pass the bill that would enforce the haredi conscription, was officially ousted on Monday.
Edelstein's replacement with Bismuth was due to the fallout in negotiations over the haredi law proposal, which had led to the departure of the two haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, from the government in July.
Upon Bismuth's appointment, he immediately stated his intention to head on a 'new path' with the haredi draft.
Expressing full confidence in his abilities, Bismuth stated, 'We, the elected officials, represent the full spectrum of opinions in society. There are disagreements among us – sometimes deep ones – but I am not alarmed by that.'
Bismuth also expressed his belief in reaching a 'historic solution' to the issue of haredi conscription.
'The connection between ancient tradition and Torah study, the state and the IDF, its defensive force, is a winning combination. We must reach a historic solution that will lead us toward a new path,' he added.
'The enemy does not differentiate between Jewish communities. We are all in the same boat,' Bismuth said.
The day following his appointment, Bismuth held meetings with reservists and had scheduled full days of meetings ahead of him with the aim of 'hearing all voices,' his spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post.
Bismuth also showed indications of wanting to speed the process of writing the new conscription law by requesting that the Knesset hold discussions on the bill during the last two weeks of August, when it is fully in recess and no longer convenes committee meetings.
However, prior to the vote for Bismuth's appointment, heated clashes took place in the Knesset's House Committee, as MKs expressed opposition to Bismuth's appointment due to worries about what would become of the draft law. Some MKs also expressed their belief that Bismuth did not suit the role of FADC chair.
Bismuth had previously been the chair of the Knesset's National Security Committee. Before his time in the Knesset, which began in 2022, he was a journalist and had been the editor-in-chief of the Israel Hayom daily.
In addition to a long career in journalism, Bismuth also served as Israel's ambassador to Mauritania between 2004 and 2008.
Edelstein: The Knesset would no longer be the same
During the heated discussion before Bismuth's appointment, Edelstein told all those attending to 'remember this day' because after it, 'the Knesset would no longer be the same.'
Edelstein stood firmly by the outline of the conscription law that he had worked on, which he released to the public for viewing for the first time just before the meeting took place.
The draft of the law set graduated conscription targets for yeshiva students over five years, with a gradual annual conscription requirement starting at 5,760 soldiers in 2025 and rising to 9,500 soldiers in the fifth year.
While Edelstein's version of the conscription law had flaws, 'it was the best one that we had so far,' the director of the Israel Democracy Institute's Center for Shared Society, Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, told the Post on Tuesday.
'From the start, I said this wouldn't be a fake draft law,' Edelstein explained at the meeting, referring to the previous arrangement established by law for the deferral of haredi recruitment, which expired in 2023.
'I fought for a fair draft law, but the haredi leadership refused. Changing the chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee won't change anything,' he said.
'This removal will only lead to chaos, especially as the IDF begins enforcement operations. Today's vote is the final nail in the coffin of the draft law,' Edelstein said.
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