The coalition partners on Monday continued to labor over a compromise that could resolve the latest political crisis, an effort focused on preventing early elections.
The crisis was sparked by Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism's threat to stall the vote on the state budget unless their amendment to Israel's Defense Service Law, seeking to legally anchor exemptions afforded to ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, is passed.
Shas, the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party, has voiced support for the controversial legislation.
The issue, which has dogged Israeli politics for years, revolves around Israel's mandatory military draft, which many in the ultra-Orthodox community believe should be secondary to Torah study. Secular Israelis, however, are opposed to shouldering the burden without the contribution of a substantial sector in Israeli society.
Kulanu party leader and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said that unless the Knesset votes on the 2019 state budget on March 15 as planned, his party will exit the coalition, a move that would trigger a general election.
He reiterated the statement on Tuesday, saying that "come Passover, the Israeli public with either have a state budget or they won't have a finance minister."
Yisrael Beytenu leader Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also opposes the amendment and said his party would vote against it.
"If they [Kahlon and Lieberman] want to topple the government, let them. We're not afraid of elections." United Torah Judaism chairman Yakov Litzman said Sunday.
The compromised offered on Monday by moderate Shas and United Torah Judaism lawmakers seeks to see the bill pass its preliminary Knesset reading before the vote on the state budget, a move that should satisfy United Torah Judaism's demand and allow its MKs to vote in favor of the budget.
Work on the final wording of the bill could then continue until September, when the current conscription exemptions expire under a ruling by the High Court of Justice.
While the state may ask the court for a continuance to keep hammering out the controversial legislation, insiders in both parties said that a declarative government decision to pursue the amendment may resolve the issue even without pushing the bill further.
MK Uri Maklev denied any progress had been made on the issue.
"Only the prime minister can solve this problem. Likud has no leadership that could bridge Netanyahu's absence," he said, referring to the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on a state visit to the United States.
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni told Israel Hayom Monday he believed early election could be avoided, noting that "the crisis over the draft bill hasn't been resolved because everyone wants to be a hero."
Meanwhile, however, Gafni, who heads the Knesset's Finance Committee, has canceled the meetings scheduled for the coming days on the 2019 state budget.
Also on Monday, the Central Election Committee has approved a budget of 280 million shekels ($81 million) for the next elections.
A committee official stressed the move was independent of recent speculations about early elections and was pursued as part of the upcoming vote on the state budget.
The decision on the committee's final budget awaits a Knesset Finance Committee vote.
Barring a decision on early elections, Israelis will next go to the polls on Nov. 5, 2019.
