The long-simmering crisis over Israel’s proposed draft law has reached a boiling point. In a dramatic late-night meeting on Monday, the leaders of Degel HaTorah- HaGaon Rav Dov Landau shlit”a and HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a-declared that they will support a motion to dissolve the Knesset this Wednesday, potentially triggering new elections and threatening the survival of the current government.
During an in-depth conversation between the two Gedolei Yisroel, it was determined that, in the absence of a finalized and acceptable version of the draft law, the chareidi parties have no reason to remain in the coalition.
Rav Hirsch reportedly said, “If there is no progress on the law, we have no choice but to push for the dissolution of the Knesset.” Rav Landau was even more forceful, warning, “When those who learn Torah are persecuted—it is a greater danger than Iran.”
Degel HaTorah stressed that if an acceptable draft of the law is presented and practical discussions begin in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the decision could be reconsidered. However, if no progress is made, Degel is expected to join Agudas Yisroel in supporting the dissolution bill on Wednesday.
The Sephardic Shas party also signaled a shift in position. Party spokesman Asher Medina said Tuesday morning that Shas, too, would support dissolving the Knesset due to the stalemate over the draft legislation. Last week, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel formally announced its support for early elections.
If no last-minute agreement is reached, the preliminary vote on the dissolution of the Knesset is expected to pass with a large majority. The bill would then move to the Knesset Committee, followed by additional procedures before final approval in second and third readings.
Adding an international dimension to the crisis, Channel 13 News reported that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee personally reached out to Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. Huckabee reportedly warned that holding elections at this time—while the Iranian threat and Houthi aggression from Yemen dominate the security agenda—would make it significantly harder for Washington to back Israel in any major operations.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
12 Responses
Hard to understand….
The government passing a law will not resolve the problem. This is because the Israeli supreme court ruled that a law that exempts torah students from the draft is invalid as it is against the idea of equality, that all people deserve to be treated equally under the law. And because the IDF claims they need the troops they will side with the court and continue to draft yeshiva students. The only difference may be that the government could possibly defy the supreme court and recognize yeshiva students are not in defiance of the law so they will start giving money to yeshivohs again. So the question is whether the main issue here is money, or the fact that yeshiva students are technically subject to arrest. That despite the fact that in reality nobody is arrested unless they go to the airport and attempt to leave the country, the issue is they don’t like the fact that torah students are technically “criminals.”
Every factor combined together whether yes or no dissolve government, is not even fractionaly as important, as what is best to bring immediate safe release of every single hostage.
If this means keeping the current government, then that is what is necessary right now.
If this means getting Ithamar ben Gvir to head next government & be Tough, then that is what is necessary right now.
I’m a small fellow and don’t get this.
Will the upcoming government of Lieberman be better ??
He will make it even worse with cutting the already cut aid and be terribly miserable to the chareidim in all means.
I guess we can’t get down to the bottom of our gidoilim who have a daas torah which I unfortunately lack.
Poshuter Yid and Thunderstorm:
It seems pretty simply to understand. The starting point, of which many seem to be unaware, is as Rav Reuven Grozovsky wrote in Biayos HaZman that it is almost absolutely forbidden for religious Jews to be in the heretical Zionist parliament. Hischabrus im reshaim is an almost insurmountable problem in that regard.
You can learn his sefer for the details, but fighting for their rights is the only reason that the frum Parliament members would possibly be allowed to be in such a terrible place (the Zionist parliament) and associate with such wicked heretics.
If they are unable to fight for their rights (whether due to the Zionist AG or for any other reason), then there simply is no heter whatsoever for any frum Jew to be there.
So, one would assume that the gedolei R”Y and Rebbes have come to the conclusion that the above is the case here, which is why they reverted to the default Torah position of it being forbidden to be in that terrible place and with such wicked heretics.
We have an imminent threat from all sides!!!!
The amount of sakanoss nefashoss of the hostages, soldiers, and all the citizens, and Jews all over the world are at stake here. If we don’t have a functioning government to deal with the issues at hand (literally by its doorstep) in Eretz Yisroel and across the world. Doesn’t Halacha say to close as many gemarahs *as needed* to save these lives *for the time being* ???? CHAS VESHALOM to drop all yidishkite and Limud Hatorah for ever or even temporary *that’s not what I’m saying*. As of now (Im aware that is “as of now”) no bachur is getting ararrested unless they try to leave the country or along those lines. We have actual life on the line here. What does Halacha dictate. This isn’t a safek the threats aren’t thinking if it’s a good idea to maybe wipe us off the map. This reminds me of what happened in the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza when bringing the korban with a moom, “…people will say you can bring a korban with a moom….” Was the alternative better? People not knowing what a korban is altogether bc the Bais Hamikdash was destroyed……
“Ashray Adam Hamifached Tamid” you need to be aware of the alternatives and do proper triage.
@Thunder & Poshuter: 100% דעת בעלי בתים היפך דעת תורה! that’s why you don’t understand even though the logic is simple; Bibbi played the game for years, he should have introduced a new draft exception 2 years ago, but thought the Chareidim won’t leave anyway – him, Likud and all the others must understand once and for all; failing to honour the coalition agreement will have consequences!
Considering that so many great Rabbanim have already expressed their view I feel it would be foolish for me to say a personal opinion.
Hashem has and is protecting us throughout our long גלות against all odds.
תורה,תפילה וגמילות חסדים מעבירין את רע הגזירה.
If the chareidim serve they will be serving in a Jewish army and help mikarav the other soldiers.
If they were living in Russia/Ukraine or any other country that was in the middle of a horrific war, they would be forced to serve in a goyisha army. They should serve with pride and carry the flag of Torah.
I don’t see the next government being any better at all, there’s no real solution to this problem because it’s the court and the Attorney General Behind these decisions and no amount of Elections will change that. However I’m a nobody and if the gedolim say it’s time to quit then it’s time to quit
there is no goal to make the government “better”, as there is no “better” when it comes to doing an aveira like trying to control a “Jewish” state. There is no “more” or “less” successful for the government, just how much can we minimize their rule – may the zionist state be quickly and peacefully uprooted from the world.