Chareidi recruitment talks have reached a deadlock, the Chareidi MKs are taking action to dissolve the Knesset, and the coalition places the blame on Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. According to a senior source involved in the negotiations, Edelstein demanded a blanket denial of yeshiva budgets, even if only 94% of the target is achieved. “He pushed for a draconian version that does not exist against any other sector in the country,” the source said, adding that the demands “violate basic civil rights of the Chareidi public—even if they fulfill their part.” Among the sanctions Edelstein demanded were the following for yeshivah bochurim and avreichim up to the age of 29. Currently, the exemption age is 26, but Edelstein wants to raise it to age 29. “Except for denying the right to vote—he included everything,” the source said. The complete list, as reported by Kikar H’Shabbat: Denial of property tax discounts Denial of tax credit points for working women Denial of housing discounts Denial of discounts on public transportation Denial of tax exemption on purchase of first apartment Revocation of academic studies subsidies Revocation of drivers’ licenses Ban on leaving the country Denial of daycare subsidies Risk of permanent arrest A senior Chareidi source exposed to the list of sanctions told Kikar HaShabbat, “According to what Edelstein and his team want, it turns out that a Bedouin in the Negev will have far more rights than a Jew who learns Torah and sustains the world. This will not happen.” Edelstein wants the sanctions to be imposed against all lomdei Torah, even if they meet the targets. A senior source in Degel HaTorah told Kikar, “This morning he started issuing different briefings, but in a meeting last night he told us that every ben yeshivah up to the age of 29 will be subject to the sanctions, even if they meet the unrealistic targets he set.” As part of the negotiations, a mechanism was proposed in which if 90% of the quota was met, the yeshiva budgets would be reduced by 20%; if 80%, a reduction of 40%, and so on. However, Edelstein insisted: if 95% is not achieved, the entire budget should be denied. “This is an all-or-nothing approach,” the source explained. “94% means the recruitment of about 10,000 Chareidim within two years—an unprecedented achievement. And yet, Edelstein demanded full punishment. There is no incentive to meet the targets if even success is considered a failure.” The source concluded with a sense of disappointment: “The Chareidim have internalized the need for change. But extreme demands, which are disconnected from reality, push even the moderate ones into a corner. If we did not succeed in passing the law during a time of existential war, we probably never will.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)