The Chareidi parties in the coalition were informed on Sunday that the draft law is expected to be brought before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for discussion on Monday.

The move comes as the Likud faces mounting pressure following the declaration by HaGaon HaRav Dov Lando that Degel HaTorah is no longer committed to the right-wing bloc. Still, it remains unclear whether Likud has enough support to pass the bill, with several coalition MKs voicing opposition to the current version of the legislation.

A statement from the home of HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau was delivered to the press following the report: “The Degel HaTorah MKs were instructed last night by HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau not to be dragged into political games and to support dissolving the Knesset this coming Wednesday.”

Kikar H’Shabbat quoted a senior figure in Degel HaTorah as saying that Netanyahu is just trying to buy time by delaying the dissolution of the Knesset, as the prime minister wants to delay elections until October, a step that the UTJ party is strongly opposed to.

The senior figure said, “What do you do when you want to buy time? You now announce to the Chareidim that there’s a breakthrough in achieving a majority, when there is no majority. They tell Boaz Bismuth to hold discussions in the committee, and according to the Attorney General, there need to be at least two or three more discussions before the law is brought for reading.”

Meanwhile, according to the senior figure, Netanyahu will freeze the vote on the bill to dissolve the Knesset. “And that way he gained another week or two,” he added. “Even if they then want to bring a dissolution law, the Elections Committee won’t allow it because it can’t organize itself timetable-wise.”

“Once again there’s no majority, and once again they’re lying.”

A senior Agudas Yisrael figure made similar remarks: “And once again there’s no majority, and once again they’re lying to the Chareidim.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)