The opposition on Sunday beat the coalition in a vote in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to extend the deadline for the government to issue new emergency call ups (known as Tzav 8 orders) to IDF reservists.
The vote marked the second time in a week that the opposition outbid the coalition, indicating the coalition's difficulties in convincing its own members about the necessity of expanding reservist call ups.
The current deadline is May 22. If the measure does not pass a repeat vote by then, the government will not be authorized to issue new callup orders. Orders issued prior to that date will remain in effect, according to IDF sources.
A repeat vote will be held later this week after coalition MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) complained that after being removed from the committee meeting due to heckling, she was not notified in time to return and cast her vote. The Knesset legal team accepted her argument.
Opposition MKs last week demanded in a letter that to committee chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) that he summon Defense Minister Israel Katz to present a detailed plan of the upcoming Operation Gideon's Chariots, and explain how it will assist in achieving the war's goals, before they lend their support to extending the Tzav 8 deadline.
Opposition MKs also criticized the government for sending out thousands of emergency call up orders to reservists while acting insufficiently to lessen their burden by drafting eligible haredi men into the IDF.
'Sending soldiers into Gaza with no horizon, no purpose'
Katz briefed the committee in a closed-door meeting on Sunday, but the measure still fell in the ensuing vote. Likud MK Amit Halevy voted along with the opposition after criticizing the operational plan over the fact that it did not include an “effective siege” and “total enforcement of preventing humanitarian aid.”
"The government has failed once again today in its attempt to issue Tzav 8 in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, failed in drafting ultra-Orthodox citizens, failed in tackling the cost-of-living crisis, and failed in passing laws in the plenum,” Opposition Leader Mk Yair Lapid said in a video statement. “It is dysfunctional. This cannot continue," he said.
Democrats party chairman Yair Golan wrote on X, "The Smotrich-Netanyahu government is sending soldiers into Gaza with no horizon, no purpose, and this morning it also lost to the opposition in its disgraceful attempt to extend the emergency reserve call-up orders (Tzav 8) and to perpetuate the ultra-Orthodox draft evasion."
"It's time to internalize this — we will not let you extend reserve duty orders while you refuse to enlist the ultra-Orthodox," Golan added.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman commended MK Halevy for voting against the measure.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.