Netanyahu races to keep promises to allies ahead of election

JERUSALEM: With the Israeli parliament set to dissolve in the coming days, just four months before national elections, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to pass a series of bills, drawing fierce criticism from opposition.

Seven pieces of legislation are currently on the agenda of the Knesset, Israel’s 120-seat parliament, each a priority for one or more parties in Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

By striking these political bargains, Netanyahu hopes to shore up his alliances and head into the late October election from a position of strength, despite opinion polls suggesting he might struggle to return to office.

The veteran prime minister, who has held office for nearly two decades across multiple terms, is facing public anger over a series of failures — particularly those that led to Hamas’s unprecedented Oct 7, 2023 attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.

“While they’re busy with their coalition’s survival, we’re fighting for the country and for the interests of Israel’s citizens,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X.

The bill that has generated the most controversy concerns exemptions from military service for students engaged in religious studies — a longstanding demand of the ultra-Orthodox parties, which have repeatedly threatened in the past to bring down the government if their constituents were not granted such exemptions.

The bill, approved in a preliminary reading in June, states that “the State of Israel shall recognise individuals who commit themselves to long-term Torah study as performing meaningful service for the benefit of the State and the Jewish people.”

For months, the proposed “Basic Law: Torah Study” has brought thousands of Israelis onto the streets and inflamed debate on political television programmes.

“The government is exploiting the final days of the Knesset’s session to pass laws against the army,” Gadi Eisenkot, former military chief who has emerged as Netanyahu’s main rival in the upcoming election, wrote on X.

He argued that only his newly formed party, Yashar (Straight) party, would be capable of forming the next government.

According to Eisenkot, the legislative “marathon” is aimed solely at passing laws that would no longer be possible once he comes to power.

In exchange for supporting the military exemption bill, lawmakers from the two ultra-Orthodox parties are expected to back legislation proposed by Netanyahu’s Likud party, including a reform of the broadcasting sector aimed at overhauling the entire regulatory framework governing television, radio and streaming platforms.

Presented by its supporters as a measure designed to open the market to competition, the reform has been condemned by critics as an attempt to exert political control over the media, undermine the independence of news organisations and provide economic benefits to outlets considered close to the government.

Another bill under consideration aims to reform the status of the state attorney general, who currently also serves as the government’s legal adviser.

Netanyahu’s Likud party seeks to weaken the position, currently held by his vocal critic Gali Baharav-Miara, by stipulating that the legal adviser’s opinions would no longer be binding on the government.

Here too, the opposition accuses the government of trying to eliminate an independent check on its power and to politicise criminal prosecutions.

Finally, at the urging of the religious parties, the government is seeking to repeal a reform introduced by the previous administration that ended the religious authority’s monopoly over issuing kosher certification by opening the sector to competition.

Once again, critics say the bill appears tailored to the demands of the ultra-Orthodox parties, particularly Shas, which has pushed for it in order to protect the religious institution’s interests at the expense of consumers.

The original kosher reform was expected to reduce costs for restaurant owners.

Additional bills are still being debated in parliamentary committees, but heated disagreements — including within the governing coalition itself — make it difficult for all of the measures to pass before the end of the legislative term.

The Knesset is due to dissolve automatically on July 15, marking the end of its summer session, with parliamentary elections scheduled for no later than October 27.

However, in order to complete ongoing legislative proceedings, lawmakers can extend the session by up to 12 days, giving Netanyahu and his allies additional time to secure passage of the bills.