16 August 2023; MEMO: Benjamin Netanyahu is afraid that a bill confirming military service exemption for Ultra-Orthodox men might expand anti-government protests within the Israel Defence Forces, local media reported on Tuesday.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli prime minister has agreed to a request from far-right religious parties to retain the Ultra-Orthodox service exemption, and is now facing a “big dilemma”. Netanyahu is currently living one of worst moments in his life, it noted, and has asked his far-right partners to soften their demands, but they have refused.
Despite warnings from senior military officers about inequality, the far-right parties are refusing to make any concessions over the military service exemption bill. They are reported to have threatened to dissolve the coalition if the bill is not passed immediately after the Knesset’s summer recess.
