Senior UTJ figure claims 'significant progress' in draft talks with Eisenkot bloc

Talks between the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and the political camp led by Gadi Eisenkot over a military conscription law are moving forward, according to several Israeli outlets. Israel Hayom reported that the two sides are swapping draft texts, drawing on a conscription framework Avigdor Lieberman put forward in 2018 and on a quota plan proposed by Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party. The Times of Israel reported that UTJ is in contact with the Eisenkot bloc every day.

A senior UTJ figure, speaking without being named, described the progress as considerable. According to N12, journalist Yishai Cohen of the ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar HaShabbat reported on N12's "Sheva" broadcast that the official said there has been "significant progress, much more than is visible from the outside." At the same time, the Times of Israel report said that Shas, the other main ultra-Orthodox party, fears that any agreement on the draft law would not hold.

Who is talking to whom

United Torah Judaism is an alliance of Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, factions. Shas is a separate Haredi party whose base is largely Sephardi and Mizrahi, meaning Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent. The two parties often coordinate on religious policy but are distinct organisations with their own leaderships.

The "change bloc" is the term used in Israeli politics for the grouping of parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp. Israel Hayom used that term for UTJ's counterpart in these talks, while the Times of Israel called it the Eisenkot bloc, reflecting the central role the reports assign to Eisenkot. Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and now heads Yashar.

Why the draft law matters

Military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis, but for decades large numbers of Haredi men studying full-time in yeshivas, religious seminaries, have been exempted or had their service deferred. The question of whether and how to conscript them has been one of the most persistent fault lines in Israeli politics, and Haredi parties have treated legislation protecting yeshiva study as a core demand in coalition negotiations.

According to Israel Hayom, the goal of the current talks is legislation that would make it possible for the ultra-Orthodox parties to take part in some arrangement with the change bloc; the outlet's published summary is cut off before stating the full aim.

The two frameworks on the table

The drafts being exchanged draw on two existing proposals, Israel Hayom said. The first is the framework presented in 2018 by Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, who was defence minister at the time. The second is a plan from Eisenkot built around quotas, which in Israeli draft debates generally refers to setting target numbers of Haredi recruits. The reports do not describe the specific terms of either framework as they appear in the current drafts, or how the two are being combined.

Diverging signals from the Haredi parties

The reports point in two directions. From UTJ's side, the message relayed through N12 was one of momentum, with the senior official suggesting the public picture understates how far the talks have come. From Shas, the Times of Israel reported concern about durability rather than about whether a deal can be reached. The Times of Israel item, as available, does not give the reasons for Shas's concern or say who in Shas expressed it.

N12 published the UTJ official's remarks twice in quick succession, the second time in an edited version with slightly different phrasing; the substance of the quoted remark was the same in both.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports names the senior UTJ official, and no on-the-record statement from UTJ, Shas, Eisenkot or Lieberman has been reported. The reports do not say what specific terms have been agreed, whether Shas is involved in the talks, what would trigger the collapse Shas reportedly fears, or whether any timetable for a bill exists.