Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently appealed to senior officials in the Knesset's haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, asking them not to advance the Draft Law at this stage and to instead wait until after the elections, Behadrey Haredim reported.
According to the report, Netanyahu told the officials that the Knesset currently lacks a majority to pass the law, amid ongoing primaries and with elections approaching.
Referring to the complex security situation, the Prime Minister argued that the issue should not be at the top of the national agenda at this time.
The haredi parties have not yet agreed to the request.
At the same time, the bill is reportedly stalled due to an internal dispute within the Lithuanian-haredi Degel HaTorah faction of United Torah Judaism: Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch strongly opposes the current version, arguing that it is insufficient, while Rabbi Dov Lando is inclined to move forward but is refraining from a decision without Rabbi Hirsch’s approval.
United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, from the party's hasidic-haredi Agudat Yisrael faction, responded sharply: "The truth has come out. This is exactly what I warned about from the beginning - Netanyahu never intended to fulfill his coalition commitments to the Haredi parties."
A decision on the matter is expected in the coming days.