The coalition suffered another blow Jan. 17, when the draft reform bill failed to pass its first reading in the Knesset. It happened after Knesset member Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi from left-wing Meretz surprised everyone, including her own party, by voting against the bill and, by extension, against coalition discipline. Even the Muslim Ra’am party supported the bill, except for Knesset member Mazen Ghanaim, who was absent when the vote was taken. The coalition responded that it would resubmit the bill again with an exemption for people opposed to it, so that it can be voted on in the next few weeks.
While there was drama surrounding the outcome of the vote, the real drama took place earlier, when the leader of the Shas party Aryeh Deri (opposition) went up to the podium and threatened that if Ra’am voted for the proposed bill, Shas would petition the Supreme Court to take steps to introduce compulsory military service for Israel’s Arab citizens. Addressing Ra’am directly, Deri said, “You have no moral right to decide for Jews and the ultra-Orthodox, who will serve in the IDF and who will not! That is a red line!”
