Aliyah Minister Sofer vows to vote against haredi draft bill, 'even if Netanyahu fires me'

Sofer pledged to persuade fellow party members to oppose the legislation, citing the heavy burden on reserve soldiers, whom he described as Torah-observant and dedicated.

Support from the members of the Religious Zionist Party is considered key in determining if the bill will be able to pass its second and third readings in the Knesset’s plenum to become a law.

Chairperson of the faction, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, addressed Sofer's objection to the bill's current outline at a party press conference in the Knesset on Monday.

The finance minister said that "there are conflicts even in the [Jewish text] of the Gemara" and that he hopes to reach an agreed-upon stance within the faction, despite the current differences, because all members "share the same goal."

Smotrich added that "the baby shouldn't be thrown away with the bath water," regarding the legislation, and that work should be continued to create a framework to ensure haredi conscription.

Two other members of RZP, MK Michal Woldiger and MK Moshe Solomon, also spoke against the bill at the FADC meeting.

Several other members of the coalition have also announced they will not vote in favor of the bill in its current form.

Among the vocal critics of the legislation in the coalition are Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Heskel (New Hope-United Right), MK Dan Illouz (Likud), and former FADC committee chair MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud).

Bismuth's bill has drawn wide criticism for introducing changes that critics claim fail to enforce haredi conscription into the IDF, as the military lacks manpower.

This outline of the bill "will not bring conscription,"  Edelstein told the Knesset panel. "If the goal is conscription, the entire bill needs to look different," he said.

Edelstien noted that the consequences of the legislation's passing would "harm the security of the state."

The panel was also packed with opposition lawmakers speaking against the bill, as Bismuth stated that his outline was a "clear, stable, empirical framework based on targets, established through productive dialogue with the army."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) slammed the proposal, telling Bismuth and the panel, “Boaz, what you’ve put on the table here is a disgraceful law of draft evasion. It is a betrayal of our soldiers.”

“Look around you. The prime minister isn’t here, the defense minister isn’t here, [Shas MK Arye] Deri isn’t here. No one wants to touch this law. They left you alone to carry this shame.”

Lapid also vowed that the bill would not be able to pass in the Knesset during a later press conference on Monday at the Knesset.

He said he knew of nine coalition members who publicly spoke against the bill and was in contact privately with additional coalition MKs who would also turn down the bill.

Progress on the bill had previously stalled due to the lack of a “green light” from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the haredi parties.

The discussion opened with statements from bereaved family members, who spoke about the urgency of creating legislation that would ensure haredi enlistment in the IDF.

Haggai Lober, father of fallen soldier Yonatan, warned the panel that the “law is dangerous, from a security perspective, a social perspective, and a leadership perspective. The army needs combat soldiers, and you know it.”

“You know that this law doesn’t even begin to meet the army’s needs. You in this committee know what challenges the State of Israel faces, and you are not providing what the army requires,” he told the panel.

"With this law, you distinguish between one blood and another,” he added.

The two haredi parties left the government in July over disagreements surrounding the bill, which had previously been advanced by Edelstein.

Critics of the revised bill argue that it still fails to enforce haredi conscription, stalls time, and attempts to appease the haredi parties to return to the government.

Some main changes in the bill that have led to criticism include a broader definition of who is considered haredi, softening sanctions on draft evaders under the age of 23, and ending sanctions on draft evaders at the age of 26.

Earlier this month, the High Court ruled that the state cannot simultaneously avoid drafting tens of thousands of yeshiva students and continue funding their institutions. It ordered the government to craft a genuine enforcement plan within 45 days.