Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Wednesday with haredi reporters and asked them to convey a message to the haredi sector and its representatives in the Knesset.
"I demand that the haredi parties abide by the agreement and the guarantees," Gantz said. "And if not, then they should at least stand and say that they could not abide by the agreement due to political considerations. I expect them to abide by the agreement."
The alternate prime minister told the reporters that a special outline would be formulated for the Western Wall and for the study halls of the Gerer hasidic movement in Jerusalem.
Kikar Hashabbat reporter Yishai Cohen reported that Gantz accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of seeking to divide Israelis and said "I hope he will stop doing this soon. I hope to set up a reconciliation cabinet soon."
Gantz further stated that Coronavirus Czar Prof. Ron Gamzu has his full support.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the flights to Uman for Rosh Hashannah, the defense minister said that "the risk should be reduced. On Memorial Day we prevented the families from visiting the graves of their relatives who had died, we closed the cemeteries. What does it mean? That there are moments in life where we need to make adjustments to reflect reality. I hope an arrangement is found through this logic, not because the haredim asked for it, but because I ask myself what would be the best result here."
"The draft law is ready," he added. '' We will promote it soon depending on court decisions. I will support the draft law agreed upon with the haredi parties as soon as possible, before December. I will not give the haredi parties a veto over it, and I hope not to become such a person as would do that. We are planning a comprehensive reform of the military service in Israel, but in the meantime we will enact this law."
Addressing the compromise reached this week to prevent the dissolution of the government and the holding of new elections, Gantz said that "if someone wastes these hundred days again, it's a sign that his intentions are impure, and you know that it will not be because of me."