Minister of Construction and Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf, addressed today (Sunday) at the opening of the cabinet meeting the matters on the agenda, with the central issue being the controversial Conscription Law. The minister stated that "there is an order in the government, and what is committed must be upheld."
Regarding the question from the reporters about what the Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Degel HaTorah) will do regarding the investigation committee on the Pegasus affair, Goldknopf responded: "It will be a government decision, we are subject to coalition discipline."
The Conscription Law continues to stir controversy as in recent weeks, even coalition members have expressed opposition to the proposed law sought by the Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members that would grant full exemption to all yeshiva students. Likud MK Eli Dellal stated in an interview two weeks ago, "Everyone who is subject to conscription should be drafted, including Haredim. I greatly respect Torah scholars, but there should be limits to this. We cannot reach a situation where there are 170,000 people exempted."
The Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members: "The government has no right to exist, without the Conscription Law"
In a message conveyed by the Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members to the Prime Minister, they made it clear that they will not support the continuation of the legal reform as long as the Conscription Law is not promoted. "There is no right for the government to exist without the Conscription Law," as stated by them.
In an interview with the Ultra-Orthodox magazine 'Mishpacha,' the Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs stated that "a Conscription Law will be legislated immune from judicial review. If it is necessary to have a law regarding Torah study for this purpose, then we will address it."
