Bismuth Refuses Delay on Haredi Draft-Arrest Vote

Opposition members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee asked chair Boaz Bismuth to delay by a week the vote on legislation freezing criminal proceedings and arrests for yeshiva students in draft-evader status, and Bismuth refused. The measure is a 90-day temporary order pushed after letters from Defense Minister Israel Katz and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs. The issue cuts across coalition discipline, IDF manpower and Torah-study protections. Israel should widen service responsibly while treating serious yeshiva study and Haredi families with respect.