Haredi parties issued a deadline this week that the conscription law must pass by Shavuot, at the end of the month, even as the intensifying fighting in Gaza complicates efforts to pass the legislation.
Within the ultra-Orthodox political camp, there are growing warnings of a crisis that could bring down the government and trigger elections.
However, with the political-security cabinet expected to approve a military escalation in Gaza, coalition members increasingly acknowledge that the conscription law faces steep public and electoral hurdles, especially amid expanded call-ups of IDF reservists.
Likud sources admit that even if Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein is replaced, and even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applies pressure on internal opponents, Religious Zionism MKs are unlikely to support the law. With Gaza fighting intensifying, it may be impossible to muster a majority, and haredi parties will be expected to wait.
But ultra-Orthodox factions are signaling deep frustration.“Netanyahu keeps trying to delay the law — always with a new excuse,” said one senior haredi figure. “We've realized there is never going to be a 'right time.' This law will never pass electorally, under any circumstances. The Knesset is still functioning, and we will have to decide — on Monday, we’ll meet to determine whether to enter the plenum or walk away.”
Arrests of Yeshiva students?
Another senior haredi official added: “We’ve already crossed the red line. The rabbis will decide, but from where we stand, this is heading toward an explosion. The IDF Chief of Staff issuing draft orders regardless of sector, the arrest of yeshiva students, and now the suggestion to postpone the draft law yet again due to the war — all of these could easily bring us to early elections.”
As a reminder, last Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared at the President’s Residence during a ceremony honoring outstanding soldiers: “All of Israel is responsible for one another.”His statement emphasized shared national duty, calling for mutual sacrifice and participation across all groups in Israeli society. “We all enlist, we all fight, and we all sacrifice for the country and a better future,” he said.
Zamir has upheld the decision of his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, to issue 24,000 draft orders to young haredi men. In recent days, under Zamir’s direction, the IDF has acted assertively, creating immense pressure within haredi communities — and sparking panic among their political leadership.