Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Charedi party leaders in recent days to remove the controversial draft exemption law from the agenda until after upcoming elections, according to multiple Hebrew media reports, though officials have issued conflicting accounts and denials.

In conversations with senior Charedi figures, Netanyahu argued that “There is no majority in the Knesset plenum to pass the law moments before the primaries and elections” and added, “This does not need to be on the agenda right now.” He reportedly suggested advancing the legislation only after elections, saying that at that stage “Knesset members are waiting for positions, and then the law’s approval can be forced.”

However, reports diverge on his actual position. While Behadrei Charedim and Israel Hayom described efforts to delay the law, Ynet cited Charedi sources claiming Netanyahu is specifically pushing to pass it immediately. Meanwhile, the office of Moshe Gafni denied that any request to delay the legislation had been made.

The political fallout has already begun. Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of United Torah Judaism, said in response to the reports: “The cat is out of the bag. As I said from the beginning, Netanyahu has no intention and never had any intention of honoring the coalition agreement and the commitment to the Charedi parties. The dispute comes as the Charedi draft exemption law remains stalled under mounting legal and political pressure following a 2024 Israeli Supreme Court ruling against blanket exemptions for yeshiva bochurim.