Haredi Draft Bill Set to Pass as Coalition Secures Majority

Amid the fierce battles our soldiers fight on multiple fronts, the home front is grappling with its own critical challenge: ensuring the Israel Defense Forces have the manpower needed to secure our future. Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs declared on Thursday that the coalition will secure the majority needed to pass the contentious haredi draft bill, a vital step toward resolving the IDF's mounting manpower crisis.

Fuchs made these confident remarks during a Kan Reshet Bet interview, just one day after the legislation returned to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The bill had been stalled for months, but progress resumed as the coalition faces intense pressure from haredi parties. These tensions peaked last week when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the haredi factions that a majority did not exist to pass the bill, prompting them to push for the Knesset's dissolution. A preliminary reading to dissolve the Knesset passed on Wednesday, potentially moving the election date forward from October 27.

Displaying unwavering resolve, Fuchs expressed certainty that the necessary votes would be secured. He pointed to recent history as proof, citing the death penalty for terrorists bill sponsored by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party. While some coalition lawmakers initially objected to that legislation, a majority was secured just days before the vote, and it passed in March. Fuchs acknowledged that a few lawmakers remain