Despite government efforts, the proposed Daycare Law and conscription reforms are facing growing resistance from within the coalition.
Last night, the controversial Daycare Law was approved, paving the way for a preliminary vote scheduled for this Wednesday. However, opposition is emerging not just from outside the coalition, but from within the Likud's own ranks.
MK Limon Son Har Melech, in an interview with Israeli News Channel 14, said that penalizing families (by ceasing daycare funding assistance) will not bring more Haredim into the army, and that she views these budget cuts are highly detrimental to Haredi working women.
Minister Ofir Sofer has announced he will oppose the Daycare Law unless the government can enlist 3,000 ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) conscripts. Likud minister Gideon Sa'ar will also oppose the law.
This resistance follows MK Dan Illouz's declaration last week, when he said that he will vote against the conscription law without the inclusion of sanctions. Likud's Moshe Saada has also made clear he will not support the conscription legislation.
These mounting objections are causing headaches for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he tries to shepherd these contentious bills through the Knesset.
Despite all these objections, Likud sources suggest the party leadership remains confident the conscription law will pass in the near future. They claim criteria will be set, annual quotas determined by the military, and a "Soldier's Law" promoted that will provide tax credits, procurement preferences, land discounts, higher education subsidies, and other benefits for those who serve.
Those who do not serve would be ineligible for these incentives, in what party insiders describe as a "real revolution" to encourage enlistment and reward those who do.
The Likud is arguing that the Daycare Law is an "artificial conflict" that unfairly punishes women and children for the decisions of the husband/father. They contend that opposition will harm women's ability to work, costing the state tax revenue that would otherwise be gained (and thereby making the economic tradeoffs unpalatable.)
The government clearly faces a bumpy road ahead as it seeks to enact these contentious reforms.
What's going on with the IDF's plans to establish a new Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) infantry brigade?
According to a report by Yisrael Hayom, the brigade's first group of recruits is set to begin training this December at a newly renovated facility in the Jordan Valley. The Tavetz training base is undergoing a $46 million overhaul to accommodate religious soldiers, with upgrades including four new synagogues and specially designed infrastructure to support religious observance.
The facility will host the initial wave of Charedi recruits who will join a standard infantry brigade. The project is led by Col. Avinoam Emunah under the command of Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the IDF Training Command.
The new brigade, the first infantry unit built from the ground up since the 1980s, aims to have its first battalion combat-ready by November 2025. It will operate as a self-sufficient entity, with a leadership team in place, including a battalion commander, company and platoon commanders, and human resources officers.
In parallel, the military is forming a Charedi Border Police unit and an Air Force maintenance division tailored to their needs.
The IDF has set an ambitious target for this recruitment year, aiming for 4,800 Charedi recruits - a substantial increase from the 1,800 enlisted last year. However, results have been mixed, with fewer than 10% of the 3,000 Charedi men who received draft notices showing up at recruitment offices.
As we all know, the establishment of this new brigade comes amid ongoing protests and heated debates around the military service exemption bill for yeshiva students. And as with anything in Israel these days, none of us has any idea how this will all turn out.