Agudat Yisrael rabbis gathered at the home of the Slonim Rebbe's son to discuss the conditions Hasidic leaders would set in potential negotiations with parties in the Eisenkot bloc to form a government, Channel 12 News reported Thursday evening.
The main demands formulated at the gathering include military service deferments for anyone engaged in full-time Torah study, a signed commitment to pass a conscription exemption law, and an override clause to protect the law from being struck down by the High Court of Justice.
The meeting was attended by leading figures in the Ashkenazi Hasidic leadership, including a prominent rebbe, representatives of the Gur and Vizhnitz Hasidic communities, and other rabbis.
According to the report, the rabbis are demanding that all 48 Knesset members in the Eisenkot bloc, including Yonatan Shalev, Matan Kahana and Gilad Kariv, sign an explicit commitment to pass the conscription exemption law.
The Hasidic leadership attaches importance not only to the law's content but also to its passage. A document obtained by Channel 12 News states that passing the legislation serves, "an interest in shaping public perceptions".
Channel 12 News presented a document detailing the Hasidic leaders' conditions, including handwritten notes attributed to the Slonim Rebbe's son.
The document indicates that direct or indirect coordination with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is being considered regarding legislation providing broad exemptions from conscription.
The document states that the attorney general would be required to support an override clause in advance. It also describes her as, "the lesser difficulty", from the rabbis' perspective, because they believe the matter can be coordinated with her.
However, the document claims that the attorney general, "leaves it unclear which principles the coordination covers and what reservations remain - apparently due to her lack of understanding".
The document also indicates that the Hasidic leaders want to reach agreement first on the arrangement's general principles, leaving its details for further negotiations. Among the issues they seek to resolve is who would have the authority to change the arrangement in the future and under what conditions.
The document goes on to call for clarification that members of the Eisenkot bloc agree to advance the legislation. It also indicates a preference for an override clause specific to the law, rather than a general override clause or a new Basic Law, should the High Court of Justice strike the legislation down.
The report comes just days after Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman announced that he was lifting his longstanding veto on joining a government with the haredi parties. This marks a significant shift in Liberman's position, after years of declaring that he would not join a government with the haredi parties, a pledge he reiterated ahead of the last election.
Agudat Yisrael MKs Yitzhak Goldknopf and Yaakov Tessler said, "In light of reports this evening, we wish to clarify that we are not aware of any meeting concerning the conscription law, and no representatives on our behalf attended any such meeting or discussions. United Torah Judaism is working together, cooperatively and responsibly, to resolve the issue of yeshiva students' status, in accordance with the instructions of our leading rabbis".