Economy Minister Nir Barkat said he and other Likud MKs would oppose the haredi draft bill as it will appear in the upcoming votes.
“To win the war, the IDF needs more soldiers. Without victory in battle, there is no country and no Torah. As a paratrooper officer who led soldiers into battle, risking their lives, I salute the IDF soldiers and pledge to be worthy of their sacrifice and devotion,” Barkat said in a statement.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a video responding to Barkat’s statement.
“We are at war on several fronts, facing great challenges and difficult decisions. Therefore, I strongly demand from all coalition partners to get yourselves together and realize the importance of the time we’re in,” Netanyahu’s statement began.
רה”מ נתניהו קורא לראשי הקואליציה: “אני דורש בכל תוקף מכל השותפים – תתאפסו. זה לא הזמן לפוליטיקה קטנה, זה לא הזמן לחקיקה שמסכנת את הקואליציה שנלחמת למען ניצחון על אויבינו”@gilicohen10 @AmichaiStein1(צילום: רועי אברהם, לע”מ) pic.twitter.com/PKR1YaAs3a
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 19, 2024
A house united
“This is not the time for petty politics, nor the time for legislation that endangers the coalition fighting for victory over our enemies,” he continued. “We must all focus solely on the tasks before us: defeating Hamas, returning all our abductees, and returning our residents safely to their homes, both in the North and in the South. So I demand everyone to put aside any other consideration. Put aside any side interest. Stand as one man, together, behind our fighters.”
The bill, which has been described as ill-fitting to the IDF’s operational needs, is currently being discussed by MKs at the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee before its expected return to the Knesset plenum for a second and third reading.
