Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday convinced senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis to withdraw their threat to topple the government over the IDF draft law, in a phone call on Sunday.
Netanyahu spoke with Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, a prominent Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox leader and dean of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.
Born in the United States, Hirsch is widely respected within Degel HaTorah and across the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox world for his spiritual authority, leadership and American-born pragmatism. He is considered one of the most influential figures in shaping the yeshiva world’s stance on political engagement.
The prime minister also spoke with the Belz Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, spiritual leader of one of the largest Hasidic dynasties in Israel.
The conversations were held amid growing tensions after Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, head of the Agudat Yisrael faction, warned last week that unless a draft law was passed by the Shavuot holiday (June 1), United Torah Judaism would leave the coalition.
The call with Hirsch, conducted in English due to his American background, was described as long and substantive. Netanyahu’s own advisers reportedly had difficulty following the conversation, leaving the prime minister to speak directly and privately with the rabbi. The follow-up call with the Belz Rebbe lasted approximately 20 minutes.
According to sources familiar with the details, Netanyahu urged the rabbis to avoid issuing public threats or setting deadlines. He emphasized that the coalition was working to reach a draft law compromise and warned that ultimatums could derail those efforts.
At a meeting, the urgent need to formalize the legal status of yeshiva students to allow them to continue their Torah studies without disruption was emphasized, according to the rabbis' offices.
An understanding was reached
By Sunday evening, an understanding was reached: the ultra-Orthodox factions would not issue an ultimatum over the draft law at this time.
"It was agreed upon that the Knesset members of UTJ would take action on the matter with the prime minister. Additionally, if no progress is made on the draft law by the Shavuot holiday, the Torah leaders will convene again to make a final decision. If no progress is achieved, they will withdraw from the coalition," the rabbis continued.
Last week, after the Knesset passed the Arrangements Law and the budget framework, internal discussions within United Torah Judaism pointed toward a unified ultimatum to Netanyahu—either pass the draft law by Shavuot or face the collapse of the government. But after Sunday’s calls, that threat was removed.
The timing remains critical. The Knesset’s summer session begins on May 4, leaving the coalition just four weeks to finalize a draft bill, pass it through the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and bring it to the plenum for second and third readings.
Senior coalition officials warned last week in closed discussions that failure to reach an agreement on the draft law could trigger early elections—an outcome Netanyahu is eager to avoid, especially amid growing public dissatisfaction and instability within his own government.
The draft law, which seeks to regulate or potentially expand the conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the IDF or national service, has long been a point of contention between secular and religious factions in Israeli politics.
In an effort to buy time and ease political pressure, it was decided that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee would remain active during the recess to continue working on the legislation.
Coalition leaders hope to present a version of the draft law that will be acceptable to all parties—no small task given the ideological divides within the government.