Overview
- Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, who had blocked the move, dropped his opposition Wednesday on the condition that Rabbi Dov Landau approves the bill.
- Degel HaTorah’s Moshe Gafni told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the parties are ready, and Netanyahu signaled he would bring the bill to a vote if the leading rabbis give the green light.
- Senior legal officials say the High Court would likely issue an immediate injunction against the bill for failing equality tests, and Knesset lawyers flagged several serious flaws in its wording.
- National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Shas and United Torah Judaism to pass the bill now despite a likely court fight, and media host Yinon Magal pressed Netanyahu to do the same.
- A report said Netanyahu asked haredi leaders to delay the bill until after elections, which Gafni’s office denied, while United Torah Judaism’s Yitzhak Goldknopf accused Netanyahu of breaking coalition promises.
- The bill would set rules for drafting or exempting yeshiva students, which haredi leaders say could stave off funding cuts and arrests, but any passage could still leave students in limbo if the court freezes the law.