All eyes were on the Yisrael Beytenu party on Monday after it emerged that it was the only holdout in a weeklong coalition crisis that has threatened the government's stability.
On Sunday it appeared that an early election was inevitable because ultra-Orthodox parties insisted on passing new bill cementing the de facto exemption of yeshiva students from military service. Ultimately though, after a late night meeting, the United Torah Judaism Council of Torah Sages ordered the party's MKs to accept a proposed compromise under which the bill, rather than go through four plenum votes before the Knesset goes on the Passover recess, would only come up for a preliminary reading until the Knesset reconvenes in the summer.
The weeklong crisis pitted coalition partners against each other and threatened to unravel the coalition that was formed after the March 2015 election.
The crisis started after the ultra-Orthodox parties said they would withhold support for the 2019 state budget bill unless the government passes a conscription bill, despite the High Court of Justice saying the current arrangement – under which yeshiva students get repeated deferments from military service – was unconstitutional.
This outraged the other coalition parties, especially Kulanu, which insisted that it would exit the coalition if the budget is not passed, as well as Yisrael Beytenu, which is vehemently opposed to a blanket exemption for ultra-Orthodox men.
The situation reached a boiling point on Sunday after the religious Zionist party Habayit Hayehudi said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was vying for an early election because of the corruption investigations in which he is embroiled.
"It is a fake crisis that can be resolved. It all depends on Netanyahu," Habayit Hayehudi leader Education Minister Naftali Bennett told Army Radio.
He later tweeted, "If you bring down a right-wing government and lead us to unnecessary elections for personal aims, you will lose us." Bennett was apparently hinting at withdrawing future support for Netanyahu if the prime minister is indicted.
Three police investigations revolving around bribery allegations threaten the four-term prime minister's political survival. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a witch hunt by the media and the Israel Police.
At a meeting with Likud ministers on Sunday, Netanyahu was quoted as saying he was working for a stable government that would serve out its term until a national election due in November 2019.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation convened Monday to approve the conscription bill and send it for a preliminary reading in the Knesset. Yisrael Beytenu representative to the committee, Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofa Landver, voted against the bill.
Later the party also submitted an official objection to the committee, which means that unless the cabinet convenes and signs off on the bill, it will not come up for a vote in the plenum.
Even if Yisrael Beytenu refuses to back the compromise in parliament – as it has threatened to do – the coalition will still have a slim majority to pass both state budget bill and the military exemption legislation without the party's support.
Yisrael Beytenu faction chairman Robert Ilatov stressed Monday that the party would not support the conscription bill when it comes up for a vote, saying, "We will not tolerate ultimatums and threats. The Right cannot afford to support a bill that has such an impact on Israel's security."
