The director-general of Israel’s Central Elections Committee has sought to reassure the chareidi public ahead of the next national election, announcing that yeshivah students classified as military draft evaders will not face arrest when casting their ballots.

Attorney Din Livne, the committee’s director-general, made the announcement Monday following concerns raised by chareidi parties and community members that individuals designated as draft evaders might avoid voting out of fear of being detained at polling locations. The report was first published by Ynet journalist Amir Ettinger.

The remarks were made during a meeting of the Central Elections Committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and attended by representatives of various political parties and factions.

According to Livne, the policy is intended to ensure that no segment of the population is discouraged from exercising its democratic right to vote because of concerns about arrest at registration points or polling stations.

The announcement comes as political leaders continue advancing legislation to dissolve the Knesset and trigger new elections.

The bill to dissolve parliament passed its preliminary reading on May 20 and cleared its first reading in the Knesset plenum on June 2.

Before elections can be formally called, the legislation must still pass through the relevant Knesset committee and receive approval in second and third readings. As part of that process, lawmakers will also determine the official election date.

At present, October 20 is emerging as the leading date under consideration within the political system.

Further developments regarding the timing of the election and the terms of the Knesset’s dissolution are expected to depend heavily on a coalition leaders’ meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Senior coalition party leaders are set to convene for discussions that could significantly influence both the legislative timetable and the path toward elections.

At the center of the negotiations is the ongoing dispute between coalition leaders and the chareidi parties, which continue to press for progress on legislation addressing issues they consider critical, particularly matters related to the status of yeshivah students and military service.

The outcome of those discussions is expected to play a major role in determining whether the current timetable toward an October election remains on track.

{Matzav.com}