Israel Political Brief August 9, 2012: Israeli Military Begins Drafting Haredi Orthodox

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli military begins drafting haredi Orthodox

Source: JTA, 8-9-12

The Israeli military has begun drafting haredi Orthodox 18-year-olds without encountering significant protests one week after a new law requiring haredi military service took effect….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 18, 2012: Israeli Knesset Rejects Proposed Universal Military Draft Law

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli Knesset rejects proposed universal draft law

Source: JTA, 7-18-12

Israeli lawmakers voted down a bill that would have required all Israelis to enlist in the army or perform national service at the age of 18, including the haredi Orthodox and Arabs….READ MORE 

Israel Political Brief July 17, 2012: Israeli Political Constellation Realigns as Kadima Quits Government

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli political constellation realigns as Kadima quits government

Source: JTA, 7-17-12

For the second time in just two months, the Israeli political universe was upended when Shaul Mofaz’s Kadima Party voted to quit Israel’s governing coalition.

Kadima’s departure, the result of a breakdown in negotiations over reforming Israel’s military draft law to include haredi Orthodox Jews, shatters the 94-seat super-majority that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu controlled in the 120-seat Knesset.

It also raises questions for the future of Kadima, Israel’s draft and the timing of new elections….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 17, 2012: Excerpt from PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Letter to Shaul Mofaz on Kadima’s Vote to Exit Unity Coalition Government

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Following is an excerpt from the letter that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent to Shaul Mofaz:

“I regret your decision to give up on an opportunity to make an historic change. After 64 years, we were very close to a substantial change in the division of the burden. I gave you a proposal that would have led to the conscription of ultra-orthodox and Arabs from the age of 18. I explained to you that the only way to implement this on the ground is gradually and without tearing Israeli society apart, especially at a time when the State of Israel is facing many significant challenges. I will continue to work toward the responsible solution that Israeli society expects.”

Israel Political Brief July 17, 2012: Kadima Party Votes to Quit Israeli Goverment Coalition

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Kadima Party votes to quit Israeli gov’t

Source: JTA, 7-17-12

The Kadima Party voted to quit Israel’s government coalition….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 17, 2012: Shaul Mofaz Surrenders; Unity Coalition Lasted 10 Weeks — Kadima Leaves Coalition Government

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Mofaz Surrenders; Unity Coalition Lasted 10 Weeks

The national unity coalition born nine weeks ago is dead, but the government lives as it did before Kadima left the Opposition.
Shaul Mofaz - back in the Opposition

Shaul Mofaz – back in the Opposition
Israel news photo: Flash 90

The national unity coalition born nine weeks ago is dead, but the government lives with a solid majority of 65 Knesset Members, as it did before Kadima left the Opposition.

Party chairman Shaul Mofaz announced Tuesday evening that the party faction voted 24-3 to pull out of the coalition because of what he said was Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s failure to live up a supposed agreement on changes in the draft law.

Although the concept of universal draft is the ostensible issue, Mofaz has used it is a ploy to try to boost his weakened party, but his see-saw political maneuvers may leave him as the loser. Likud officials received his announcement with comments of “goodbye and we will not meet again.”…READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 12, 2012: PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Shaul Mofaz Meet, Talk About Haredi Military Draft Law

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ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Mofaz, Netanyahu Meet, Talk About Draft Law

 
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz meet about the new draft law. Meeting ends without progress.

Netanyahu and Mofaz

Netanyahu and Mofaz
Israel news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz met on Wednesday evening in an attempt to find a solution to the crisis created by the failure to find a mutually acceptable new draft law.

Channel 10 News reported that the meeting ended without significant progress and the two agreed that Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner would meet again on Thursday in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 11, 2012: Finger Pointing Erupts Amid Plesner-Yaalon ‘Failure’ with New Haredi Military Draft Law

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Finger Pointing Erupts Amid Plesner-Yaalon ‘Failure’

Kadima continues to threaten to leave the gov’t if it doesn’t have its way in writing the new draft law; Likud says sides very close.
Shaul Mofaz

Shaul Mofaz
Flash 90

Finger pointing dominated the domestic agenda in Jerusalem on Wednesday as an ad-hoc Likud-Kadima working group failed to find a mutually acceptable alternative to the controverisal Tal Law….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 8, 2012: Deputy PM Shaul Mofaz Head of Team Appointed to Write New Military Draft law in Israel

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Team appointed to write new military draft law in Israel

Source: JTA, 7-8-12

Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz will be part of the three-member team to write an Israeli law on equality in military and national service.

Mofaz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on the team, which was announced Sunday. The team will formulate the law on haredi Orthodox military service based on recommendations of the Plesner committee, which Netanyahu dissolved less than a week ago citing the number of members who quit. The committee issued its preliminary findings despite the dissolution….READ MORE

Israel Political Brief July 6, 2012: PM Benjamin Netanyahu Wants Two Teams to Examine Universal Draft Alternatives

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ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Netanyahu wants two teams to examine draft alternatives

Source: JTA, 7-6-12

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has ordered the formulation of two teams to examine universal draft alternatives….READ MORE 

Israel Political Brief July 5, 2012: PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Deputy PM Shaul Mofaz mMeet over Haredi Draft Law

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS

Netanyahu, Mofaz meet over haredi draft law

Source: JTA, 7-5-12

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Kadima Party head Shaul Mofaz to head off a political crisis over a new haredi draft law….READ MORE