Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disbanded a state-sanctioned committee charged with forming a new law on drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the Israel Defense Forces on Monday, in an apparent blow to coalition partner Kadima, which joined the premier’s cabinet based on an agreement that the government would formulate a new Haredi enlistment law.

The committee, headed by Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner, was dissolved after a reported disagreement over the wording of the new bill, which was geared to replace the so-called Tal Law after that was struck down as unconstitutional by the High Court.

Last week, coalition partners Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi announced their withdrawal from the committee, over what they said was the the committee’s refusal to accommodate their demand to draft all Israeli Arab citizens when they turn 18.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In fact, the Plesner Committee at the time agreed to adopt a model of universal service that would also include the Arab community, but it did not go far enough for Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount