Shelving of local rabbi law shows talk of unity is still on the table

The coalition’s decision on Tuesday to shelve a bill regarding the appointment of municipal rabbis appears ho-hum at first glance.

But it’s not. Instead, it gives a peek into significant political dynamics at a time when the motto, “This is not the time for politics, this is the time to fight Hamas,” seems to be overtaken by a return to politics as usual.

The contentious bill submitted by Shas MK Erez Malul and Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman would give the Shas-controlled Religious Services Ministry a majority on nominating committees for publicly funded local rabbis around the country.

The law would also give the Religious Services Ministry authority to appoint a rabbi to be paid by the ministry in any neighborhood or local authority with more than 50,000 residents and to compel cities without chief rabbis, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, to hire one and possibly two. This could add another 600 local rabbis to the state’s payroll.

The Jewish religious services bill was first submitted in June as the judicial reform controversy was at its peak, and it would cancel reforms put into place by Matan Kahana when he was religious services minister in the last government, giving more power to the haredi-dominated Chief Rabbinate.

That the bill, which was put on hold after October 7, was scheduled to be brought to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee headed by Rothman on Tuesday, before being shelved at the last minute, underscores three political developments to keep an eye on.

First, that the bill was initially to be brought to the Knesset committee for a potential preliminary vote, despite widespread recognition that it would incite anger within the coalition and violate the agreement with Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party, shows that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dead set on keeping the 64-member coalition that he had previous to October 7 intact.

The stability of the existing emergency government is looking increasingly wobbly, following the breakup of the National Unity Party and New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar’s threat to leave the coalition if he is not given a seat in the war cabinet. As a result, Netanyahu did not want to infuriate any of the parties that made up the 64-member coalition he had before

October 7, explaining why the bill was moving forward despite Gantz’s opposition. Netanyahu wants to ensure that the original members of his coalition are satisfied and not given any reason to threaten to bring down the government.

The second development to take note of is that the bill was shelved Tuesday morning after a Likud minister and two MKs wrote a sharply worded letter to Netanyahu opposing it, and two other Likud MKs took to social media to express their opposition. One widely read Hebrew website termed this a “revolt in the Likud.”

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz wrote to Netanyahu. MKs Eli Dalal and Tally Gotliv let their feelings be known on X.

Internal dissent of that sort inside the Likud is something both rare and worth watching. That these five were able to thwart the passage of this bill at this time shows the power a group of Likud MKs and ministers – if they band together – could have on other issues as well. If Netanyahu loses five Likud votes, he could conceivably lose the coalition.

What this shows is that there are policies that will

face resistance inside the Likud faction. This is a potent message at this time, especially as the decision regarding haredi conscription will soon be coming to the Knesset.

Though Netanyahu will likely not do anything to infuriate the haredi parties and rock the coalition boat, this development shows that the faction will not be a rubber stamp for any policies that he may want to move forward, and that a rebellion in the party over certain issues is possible.

The final interesting dynamic is the official reason given for not promoting the legislation now, as well as the reason the Likud MKs gave for opposing it: not wanting to raise issues at this time that would split the country.

In announcing the withdrawal of the bill now, Coalition Whip Ofir Katz said: “After I spoke with the heads of the coalition factions, as well as after I spoke with Shas chairman Rabbi Arye Deri, it was decided that this is not the right time to advance controversial legislation.”

These days, he added, “we must strive for unity in the nation as much as possible.”

This was the same message Chikli, Saada, and Illouz conveyed in their letter to Netanyahu.

“Together we will win – this combination of words is not intended just to decorate stickers and billboards, but as a compass for making decisions,” they wrote. “The State of Israel is still in the midst of a fateful war that is far from over. That is the most important thing, and we must not give excuses at this time to those among us who are interested in division and strife.”

“In times of war, it is appropriate to give up controversial bills,” they added. “This is not the time to promote controversial legislation, but a time to unite ranks and focus the nation’s forces in this war.”

Dalal, in his post on X, had a similar message: “We do not need to deal with what could create division and discord. No law is worth that at this time.”

Since October 7, there has been abundant talk of the need for unity while soldiers are fighting and dying in war. The removal of this legislation now, precisely because of the fear that it will foster discord and disunity, is a positive sign that – to some degree – this sentiment is being internalized and trans

IDF

An additional military force entered a different part

of the sprawling Shifa complex, where Mabhouh himself was staying, according to the report.

Although the soldiers asked him through loudspeakers to come out, raise his hands, and turn himself in, Mabhouh opened fire, and he was subsequently killed in an exchange of fire.

During the Monday battle, 20-year-old St.-Sgt. Matan Vinogradov, from Jerusalem, was also killed.

In addition, the military announced on Tuesday that Chief Warrant Officer (res.) Sebastian Haion, 51, from Rosh Ha’ayin, was killed in a battle in northern Gaza.

It was still unclear how long the Shifa operation would last.

This is the second time the IDF has taken over Shifa. The first time was in mid-November, when it destroyed an extensive tunnel network and command center.

There have been several vacuums in northern Gaza in areas where the IDF initially cleared out Hamas forces but did not install any new authority to manage the situation.

Shifa is one of many areas where Hamas has started to reconstitute itself pending a months-long, delayed government decision about how to handle Gaza going forward.

In the center of the Gaza Strip, fighters of the Nahal Brigade continued to eliminate terrorists in the area. One of those killed, according to Palestinian reports, was Hamas Nuseirat police commander Abu Nir al-Bayumi. The IDF did not confirm this by print time.

During one of the operations, the fighters identified a terrorist shooting at them and, within minutes, killed him in conjunction with the battalion’s tank force.

Troops also operated in the Al-Qarara area in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where, along with the IAF, they killed terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure in the area.

Anti-tank missiles were launched at the IDF earlier this week from one of these terror locations, said the IDF.

Meanwhile, in the North, a soldier was moderately wounded and another was lightly wounded by rocket fire near Manara on Tuesday, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Additionally, on Tuesday afternoon, the IDF struck Hezbollah targets in Ayta Ash Sha’ab, Mays al-Jabal, Odeissah, Naqoura, and Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon. Throughout the day, Lebanon fired several rockets toward Israel, and the IDF intercepted a suspicious aerial object near the border.

The IDF also struck a Hezbollah observation post near Marwahin in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, shortly after an IDF observer from Unit 869 spotted a terrorist in the structure.

Earlier in the day, the IDF struck a Hezbollah building near Odaisseh in southern Lebanon.

At a conference held by Makor Rishon and the Tachlith Institute on Tuesday, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Avichai Stern, warned that Israel needs to “restore deterrence.”

“The situation we are in today is an ever-increasing erosion of our deterrence against our enemies. The State of Israel has no right to exist without its deterrence,” said Stern.

“Our power of deterrence begins with unity among ourselves and then with our army. We have no other army, and there is no reason for Israel to remain deterred

as it is today. It does not make sense that the residents of Kiryat Shmona have been displaced from their homes for five months,” added Stern.

“In the South, I know what the goals are, but what are the goals and objectives in the North?

“The threat has not been removed,” he said. “In such a reality, there is no way to talk about returning, and therefore, we must restore deterrence. If there was deterrence, it would be possible to finish everything in a week.”

Stern added that a survey conducted among those evacuated from their homes found that 40% were unwilling to return. “This must be changed. The state must understand that this is, first of all, in its interest,” he said.

The Saudi Al-Arabiya news channel reported on Tuesday that the US had warned Lebanon that a full-on war with Israel would erupt unless Hezbollah responded to demands to withdraw from the border area.

According to the report, there are four main figures involved in the efforts to solve the crisis: US envoy Amos Hochstein, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri, Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Berri and Bou Saab are serving as in-betweens for Hochstein, and Nasrallah and the parties have so far failed to reach any agreement on how to end the growing escalation.

Additionally, according to the report, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., told the commander of the Lebanese Army, Joseph Aoun, two weeks ago that the US was prepared to provide substantial support to help the Lebanese army restore control in southern Lebanon, including financial support and help deploying forces. European leaders have similarly expressed their readiness to provide further financial support to the Lebanese army.

During a meeting of the Lebanese cabinet on Tuesday, Prime Minister Najib Mikati referenced the fighting in southern Lebanon, saying, “We will continue to work towards reaching a ceasefire, halting the war of destruction and extermination, and enabling the return of the people of the south to their towns and villages, despite everything that is happening.”

“We are confident that the ceasefire being worked on in Gaza, despite the high tone of threats from Israel, will include the countries of the region and witness longterm stability,” added Mikati.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) marked its 46th anniversary on Tuesday, with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Aroldo Lázaro renewing calls for Israel and Hezbollah to recommit to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and work toward a diplomatic solution to the current crisis.

UNIFIL has been widely criticized for failing to prevent Hezbollah from taking over southern Lebanon before October 7, which was a core aspect of UNSC 1701.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. •

BIDEN

Gaza Palestinians are located. Many of them fled to the southern part of the enclave to escape the bombing in the north.

US National Security Advisor

Jake Sullivan told reporters that during Biden’s talk with Netanyahu, the Israeli leader agreed to send a team of military and intelligence experts to Washington so the US could show them an alternative military plan for Rafah.

Netanyahu said he had agreed to this step out of respect for Biden, even though he understood that the US strategy was incorrect.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office appointed Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi to head the delegation that will meet with US officials. They will be joined by Israeli security officials.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that the meeting would likely take place next week.

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that the US approach would allow Israel to destroy Hamas through limited strikes rather than a major operation.

“We hope that we’ll be able to have an exchange of views and discuss an alternative approach that...will target the key elements of Hamas and secure the border [with Egypt] in the Rafah area,” without negatively impacting the more than a million people who are seeking refuge there, Patel said.

In Washington on Monday, Sullivan said Netanyahu had erred by insisting that those who were asking Israel not to launch a major military operation were asking it to lose the war.

Sullivan underscored in his comments to the press that the US agreed with Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas but thought it needed a different strategy.

“We have an argument with the Americans about the need to enter Rafah, not about the need to eliminate Hamas,” Netanyahu said.

This is a zero-sum game, Netanyahu added, explaining that if even 20 percent of Hamas terrorists are left in the enclave, they will reorganize and threaten Israel.

“This will be a victory for the greater axis that threatens us – the Iranian axis,” he stated.

Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein posted on his Facebook page after the closeddoor meeting that he, too, had warned that Iran could control Gaza unless a sane force was in charge.

“You don’t need to be the FADC chairman to understand this. If Iran controls the Gaza Strip, Iran will also control Jordan in a short time.

“This is a reality of tremendous existential threat that we simply cannot accept or live with. Israel will be surrounded on all its borders by Iran and its proxies. This will be the result of a terrorist state in Gaza, and this is an unacceptable reality,” he stated.

In the Philippines, Blinken said that he planned to head to Egypt and Saudi Arabia this week and that part of his conversations would focus on what should happen in Gaza once the war is over.

The Biden administration believes that in the future, Gaza should be part of a Palestinian state that would include the West Bank. It hopes to use the pause in the Gaza war to move forward on a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia that would include a pathway toward Palestinian statehood.

“We’ve also impressed upon Israel the imperative of having a plan for Gaza for when the conflict ends, which we hope will be as soon as possi