JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The coalition’s controversial ultra-Orthodox draft exemption bill was placed back on the Knesset agenda Wednesday, with a discussion scheduled in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to advance the legislation toward final passage.

Haredi political sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office proposed resuming committee work on the bill in an effort to delay elections until October. The ultra-Orthodox parties rejected the offer, preferring a September vote during the High Holidays, and are instead pressing for immediate dissolution of the Knesset.

Degel Hatorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando urged lawmakers “not to get drawn into political games” and to support dissolving the Knesset this Wednesday, according to reports from Haredi media.

The Haredi factions decided to force early elections after Netanyahu told them the coalition lacks a majority to pass the bill. He suggested waiting until after the 2026 elections and proposed an amendment to the Law of Continuity that would allow the next Knesset to continue working on the legislation. Both ideas were rejected.

The bill, which ostensibly aims to increase military conscription in the Haredi community while effectively enshrining exemptions for full-time yeshiva students, has faced significant opposition even within Netanyahu’s coalition. Critics describe it as legally questionable and riddled with loopholes.

The legislation was sidelined in March amid the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth later said he would continue advancing it.

The developments highlight ongoing tensions between the Haredi parties and the rest of the coalition over the sensitive issue of military service exemptions, a flashpoint in Israeli politics for decades.