Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, chair of the powerful Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, announced Wednesday that coalition leaders have reached an agreement in principle on a long-awaited proposal for a new IDF enlistment law—potentially ending a months-long crisis threatening government stability. “After long deliberations, we have reached agreements on principles on which to base a proposal for the enlistment law,” Edelstein said in a statement, calling the moment “historic news” and a major step toward “real change in Israeli society and strengthening the State of Israel’s security.” While Edelstein did not disclose the details of the compromise, he said that the legislation would expand the IDF’s conscription base. “As I said the entire way, only a real, effective bill like this will come out of my committee,” he said. The enlistment law, which addresses military service requirements for yeshiva bochurim, has long been a flashpoint in Israeli politics, with tensions running high between secular and charedi coalition members. The lack of a unified position had placed significant strain on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition. Edelstein confirmed that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee would begin formal deliberations on the bill soon, with the goal of advancing it through its second and third Knesset readings. “We’re on the path to history,” he declared. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)