The Shas and UTJ parties on Tuesday published a harsh and unusual statement against the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, accusing him publicly of lying, misleading the public, and leading moves designed to sabotage the compromise outline on the conscription law. The statement was issued hours after Edelstein made statements to the press blaming the Chareidim for the lack of a draft bill, claiming that he did everything he could to find a solution to the crisis. “Edelstein stood in front of the cameras today and brazenly lied to the public,” the official statement said. “For a year and a half, he has been misleading the negotiation teams, the Rabbanim, the reservists, the military and security officials, and everyone who acted sincerely to bring about a balanced and respectable arrangement.” The Chareidi MKs said Edelstein continues to spread false claims about a compromise outline he formulated, while in practice, he consistently worked to thwart every proposal that came up. “Just this week, in a serious and unprecedented move, Edelstein changed the main agreements that were reached and introduced a series of new restrictions and humiliations, while harming lomdei Torah and the trust between the coalition partners.” The statement added that Edelstein refrained from publishing the version on which he claims an agreement was reached because he fears “that the truth will be revealed, and the public will see the violations and deceptions he led.” “The Israeli public needs to know the truth: Yuli Edelstein is managing a political game on the backs of those who serve, cynically exploiting the pain of the families, causing a serious rift in the national camp, and bringing down the right-wing government. Likud representatives must denounce him.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)