Netanyahu fears the collapse of his government and the date of the elections will be determined after meeting Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to set a date for next year’s elections after his upcoming visit to the United States.
Netanyahu expects difficulties in passing a bill to recruit ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army, and fears that the dispute over it could lead to the collapse of the governing coalition.
Netanyahu is seeking to capitalize on any potential diplomatic gains during his upcoming visit to US President Donald Trump to strengthen his political position ahead of the elections.
In this regard, Israeli Maariv newspaper reported that Netanyahu had hoped to pass the ultra-Orthodox conscription law before he traveled, but that was unlikely.
The Agudat Israel Council of Torah Elders is due to decide its position on the bill at a meeting on Sunday.
On December 6, he unveiled new developments for the bill, which aims to address the refusal of some ultra-Orthodox to perform military service, amid criticism in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for the ineffectiveness of the proposed formula, and opposition from within the coalition and the opposition, which reduces the chances of its passage in the second and third readings.
A poll conducted by Maariv published on Friday showed that Netanyahu’s coalition still holds 50 seats, while Likud will get 25 seats if elections are held today.
According to the poll, the opposition won 60 seats, compared to 10 seats for Arab parties.
