Latest news with #Edelstein
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Likud booting Edelstein will come back to bite it?
While Edelstein has given no indication of his next political move and has remained loyal to the Likud, it is not inconceivable that he seeks a new political home. Regardless of where one stands on Israel's political map – Right, Left, or Center – recent polling gives little room for optimism that a clear mandate to govern will emerge from the next elections, which will be held somewhere between late January and late October 2026. The reason for this pessimism is that the polling numbers indicate that the parties currently comprising the coalition are projected to win between 49 and 53 seats, while the Jewish opposition parties are polling between 57 and 61 seats. In other words, both sides are expected to struggle to form a stable coalition. While in 2022, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid were willing to form a government with an Arab party, Mansour Abbas's Ra'am, the likelihood of that dynamic repeating itself with the country on a war footing, or just beyond it, which may be the case when the elections are held, is slim. This means that the country is staring down the barrel of the same kind of political stalemate and gridlock that plagued it between 2019 and 2022, when it underwent five elections in just three and a half years. That picture does not fundamentally change even when factoring in the possible emergence of a new party led by Gadi Eisenkot, or even if he joins Yesh Atid as its head or merges with Bennett's new party. The Eisenkot effect, for the most part, has been to rearrange the furniture within the opposition bloc. It has not shifted votes from the coalition bloc to the opposition. He is not moving a table and chair from one room to another; he is simply moving them around in the same room. The key to breaking this stalemate is moving votes across the blocs, for example, persuading moderate right-wing voters currently voting for the Likud to cast their ballots for Benny Gantz's, Lapid's, or Bennett's parties. The polls, however, are not showing this dynamic taking hold. The option to form a new government may lie with a new party And that means the vehicle to move votes from one bloc to the other might be a new party with a different message. If the Likud goes ahead on Wednesday and ousts Yuli Edelstein from his position as head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, punishing him for refusing to back a law that fails to mandate meaningful haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription within a reasonable time frame, then it might – with its own hands – be creating that very vehicle. Edelstein has issued no threats to leave the Likud for another party or to start a new one. Still, that possibility cannot be dismissed, especially if he is ousted from his post and performs poorly in the Likud primaries to be held before the next elections. And a poor showing in the next Likud primaries is not far-fetched, given that some within his party are accusing him of trying to bring down the right-wing government over the haredi draft issue. Edelstein joined the Likud in 2003 after the party he founded with Natan Sharansky – Yisrael B'Aliyah – merged with the Likud. He vied for a position on the Likud's list in 2006 and won the 14th slot. As the party only won 12 seats, he first entered the Knesset as a Likud MK replacement in 2007. His standing in the party grew steadily. In the 2009 primaries, he placed 12th, dropped to 18th in 2013 when the Likud ran together with Yisrael Beytenu, and then rose to third place in 2015. His peak came in the April 2019 primaries, when he captured the second slot on the party list, just behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That represented the height of his influence and reflected his popularity within the party. At the time, he was serving as Knesset speaker. His fortunes began to decline, however, when – amid Netanyahu's repeated failures to form a coalition after successive elections – he flirted with the idea of challenging him for the party leadership, an idea he eventually abandoned. But the damage was done, and in the 2022 primaries, he dropped to 18th place. When Netanyahu selected his cabinet after winning the Knesset elections that year, Edelstein was conspicuously left out, only to be appointed chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as almost a consolation prize. While Edelstein has given no indication of his next political move and has remained loyal to the Likud, it is not inconceivable that, if he is ousted, he could seek a new political home or build a new one. Doing so on the back of the haredi conscription issue may prove to be a winning strategy. Caving to haredi demands on conscription is not only unpopular among the general Jewish public but also among Likud voters. It is a hot-button issue, one that could drive a segment of Likud voters to follow Edelstein to a party that reflects their positions and values, first and foremost, support for mandatory military service for haredim. Polls suggest that the Likud has a solid base of about 18 seats that will remain loyal to Netanyahu no matter what. That figure is drawn from post-October 7 massacre polling. On October 6, 2023, a Maariv poll projected 28 seats for the Likud, reflective of what most of the polls were giving the party at the time as the judicial reform debate raged. The Likud won 32 seats in the 2022 election. In 10 polls conducted over the next two months immediately following October 7 – as the country seethed with fury at how such a catastrophe could have happened – the party averaged 18 seats, which can be considered its bedrock support. Currently, the Likud is polling around 27 seats, meaning that nine of those mandates are floating, i.e., voters currently within the Likud camp could jump ship over one issue or another. Considering the passion that the haredi conscription issue is triggering, this could be one of those issues. Edelstein, if he chose to form a party or join another, could offer those voters a new political home. In doing so, he could become that elusive vehicle that moves voters from one bloc to the other. Speculative as it may be, this scenario raises questions that the Likud might want to consider before removing Edelstein from his position, particularly the political ripple effects of sidelining someone over an issue that resonates deeply with much of the country, including a significant segment of its own voters. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel's Netanyahu holds on to power, attempt to dissolve government falls short
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have faced the most serious challenge to their power since Oct. 7 after a bill to dissolve parliament and call for early elections failed. This is more than a momentary victory: under Israeli law, the bill's failure means that no other proposal to dissolve the Knesset (parliament) can be introduced for six months, buying Netanyahu and his coalition some time. Netanyahu Coalition Threatened By Conscription Standoff With Religious Parties Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers had threatened to dissolve the government amid a deadlock over exemptions to military service. According to the Associated Press, most of the ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset agreed to vote against the bill after reaching a compromise with MK Yuli Edelstein, who leads the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Discussions about the new draft law will reportedly continue over the coming week. Edelstein has been a vocal opponent of any bill that would enshrine the ultra-Orthodox military service exemption into Israeli law, according to the Times of Israel. Netanyahu Accuses Israeli Police Of Trying To 'Topple' His Government Read On The Fox News App While Israel requires citizens to enlist in the military at age 18, several groups are exempt—including the ultra-Orthodox community, also known as Haredim—which makes up roughly 13% of Israeli society, according to the Associated Press. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have Haredi units, which allow soldiers to follow religious traditions more strictly than other parts of the army. However, many Haredim choose to study Torah instead. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the government "spat in the faces" of Israeli soldiers and "sold out our troops" with the compromise, the Times of Israel reported. The outlet added that Edelstein stated that the only way to get an "effective bill like this leading to an expansion of the IDF's conscription base" would be through his committee. The issue of religious exemption has been a debate among Israelis for decades, but it has become especially heated since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. Israel is currently fighting the longest war in its history as the country marks 20 months of its ground operation in Gaza. Israelis from all walks of life have been called up to the reserves throughout the war, fueling frustration with the Haredi community's article source: Israel's Netanyahu holds on to power, attempt to dissolve government falls short
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Israel's Netanyahu holds on to power, attempt to dissolve government falls short
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have faced the most serious challenge to their power since Oct. 7 after a bill to dissolve parliament and call for early elections failed. This is more than a momentary victory: under Israeli law, the bill's failure means that no other proposal to dissolve the Knesset (parliament) can be introduced for six months, buying Netanyahu and his coalition some time. Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers had threatened to dissolve the government amid a deadlock over exemptions to military service. According to the Associated Press, most of the ultra-Orthodox members of the Knesset agreed to vote against the bill after reaching a compromise with MK Yuli Edelstein, who leads the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Discussions about the new draft law will reportedly continue over the coming week. Edelstein has been a vocal opponent of any bill that would enshrine the ultra-Orthodox military service exemption into Israeli law, according to the Times of Israel. While Israel requires citizens to enlist in the military at age 18, several groups are exempt—including the ultra-Orthodox community, also known as Haredim—which makes up roughly 13% of Israeli society, according to the Associated Press. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have Haredi units, which allow soldiers to follow religious traditions more strictly than other parts of the army. However, many Haredim choose to study Torah instead. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the government "spat in the faces" of Israeli soldiers and "sold out our troops" with the compromise, the Times of Israel reported. The outlet added that Edelstein stated that the only way to get an "effective bill like this leading to an expansion of the IDF's conscription base" would be through his committee. The issue of religious exemption has been a debate among Israelis for decades, but it has become especially heated since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. Israel is currently fighting the longest war in its history as the country marks 20 months of its ground operation in Gaza. Israelis from all walks of life have been called up to the reserves throughout the war, fueling frustration with the Haredi community's exemption.
Daily Express
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Netanyahu survives opposition bid to dissolve parliament
Published on: Thursday, June 12, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 12, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community. - AFP pic JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. Advertisement The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community. While the opposition is composed mainly of centrist and leftist groups, ultra-Orthodox parties that are propping up Netanyahu's government had earlier threatened to back the motion. The results of the vote Thursday morning, however, showed that most ultra-Orthodox lawmakers ultimately did not back the opposition bill, with just a small number voting in favour. The opposition will now have to wait six months before it can try again. Before the vote, Yuli Edelstein, a lawmaker from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, announced that after lengthy discussions, parties had agreed on the 'principles on which the draft conscription law will be based'. Edelstein, who chairs the foreign affairs and defence committee, did not specify the terms of the agreement. 'As I said all along -- only a real, effective bill that leads to an expansion of the (Israeli military's) recruitment base will emerge from the committee I chair,' he wrote on social media platform X. 'This is historic news, and we are on the path to real reform in Israeli society and strengthening the security of the State of Israel.' Edelstein had earlier put forward a bill aimed at increasing the number of ultra-Orthodox conscripted, and tightening the penalties for those who refuse to serve. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, said the government was seeing the beginning of the end. 'When coalitions begin to fall apart, they fall apart. It started and this is what it looks like when a government begins to collapse,' he said. Ultra-Orthodox parties had been given a choice between losing a law on their exemption from military service, or losing their place in the government, and they chose exemption, Lapid added. 'The government helped them... organise the exemption of tens of thousands of healthy young people,' he said, referring to ultra-Orthodox Israelis. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi hit back, saying the coalition government was 'moving forward' and 'stronger than ever'. Earlier on Wednesday, opposition leaders had said their decision to bring the dissolution bill to the Knesset for a vote was 'made unanimously and is binding on all factions'. They said that all opposition parties would freeze their lawmaking activities to focus on 'the overthrow of the government'. Netanyahu's coalition is one of the most right-wing in the country's history. It includes two ultra-Orthodox parties -- Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). The two parties had threatened to back the motion for early elections. 'Existential danger' Military service is mandatory in Israel but, under a ruling that dates back to the country's creation when the ultra-Orthodox were a very small community, men who devote themselves full-time to the study of Jewish scripture are given a de facto pass. Whether that should change has been a long-running issue. Efforts to scrap the exemption have intensified during the nearly 20-month war in Gaza as the military looks for extra manpower. Netanyahu is under pressure from his Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men -- a red line for parties such as Shas, who demand a law guaranteeing their constituents permanent exemption from military service. Ahead of the vote in the early hours of Thursday morning, Israeli media reported that officials from Netanyahu's coalition were holding talks with ultra-Orthodox leaders hoping to find common ground. In an apparent bid to allow time for those negotiations, Netanyahu's coalition filled the Knesset's agenda with bills to delay the vote. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that bringing down the government during wartime would pose 'an existential danger' to Israel's future. 'History will not forgive anyone who drags the state of Israel into elections during a war,' Smotrich told parliament, adding that there was a 'national and security need' for ultra-Orthodox to fight in the military. Netanyahu's government is a coalition between his Likud party, far-right groups and ultra-Orthodox parties, whose departure would leave it without a parliamentary majority. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Netanyahu survives opposition bid to dissolve parliament
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community. While the opposition is composed mainly of centrist and leftist groups, ultra-Orthodox parties that are propping up Netanyahu's government had earlier threatened to back the motion. The results of the vote Thursday morning, however, showed that most ultra-Orthodox lawmakers ultimately did not back the opposition bill, with just a small number voting in favour. The opposition will now have to wait six months before it can try again. Before the vote, Yuli Edelstein, a lawmaker from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, announced that after lengthy discussions, parties had agreed on the 'principles on which the draft conscription law will be based'. Edelstein, who chairs the foreign affairs and defence committee, did not specify the terms of the agreement. 'As I said all along -- only a real, effective bill that leads to an expansion of the (Israeli military's) recruitment base will emerge from the committee I chair,' he wrote on social media platform X. 'This is historic news, and we are on the path to real reform in Israeli society and strengthening the security of the State of Israel.' Edelstein had earlier put forward a bill aimed at increasing the number of ultra-Orthodox conscripted, and tightening the penalties for those who refuse to serve. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, said the government was seeing the beginning of the end. 'When coalitions begin to fall apart, they fall apart. It started and this is what it looks like when a government begins to collapse,' he said. Ultra-Orthodox parties had been given a choice between losing a law on their exemption from military service, or losing their place in the government, and they chose exemption, Lapid added. 'The government helped them... organise the exemption of tens of thousands of healthy young people,' he said, referring to ultra-Orthodox Israelis. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi hit back, saying the coalition government was 'moving forward' and 'stronger than ever'. Earlier on Wednesday, opposition leaders had said their decision to bring the dissolution bill to the Knesset for a vote was 'made unanimously and is binding on all factions'. They said that all opposition parties would freeze their lawmaking activities to focus on 'the overthrow of the government'. Netanyahu's coalition is one of the most right-wing in the country's history. It includes two ultra-Orthodox parties -- Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). The two parties had threatened to back the motion for early elections. 'Existential danger' Military service is mandatory in Israel but, under a ruling that dates back to the country's creation when the ultra-Orthodox were a very small community, men who devote themselves full-time to the study of Jewish scripture are given a de facto pass. Whether that should change has been a long-running issue. Efforts to scrap the exemption have intensified during the nearly 20-month war in Gaza as the military looks for extra manpower. Netanyahu is under pressure from his Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men -- a red line for parties such as Shas, who demand a law guaranteeing their constituents permanent exemption from military service. Ahead of the vote in the early hours of Thursday morning, Israeli media reported that officials from Netanyahu's coalition were holding talks with ultra-Orthodox leaders hoping to find common ground. In an apparent bid to allow time for those negotiations, Netanyahu's coalition filled the Knesset's agenda with bills to delay the vote. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that bringing down the government during wartime would pose 'an existential danger' to Israel's future. 'History will not forgive anyone who drags the state of Israel into elections during a war,' Smotrich told parliament, adding that there was a 'national and security need' for ultra-Orthodox to fight in the military. Netanyahu's government is a coalition between his Likud party, far-right groups and ultra-Orthodox parties, whose departure would leave it without a parliamentary majority.
