It doesn’t happen a lot in the Knesset, but on July 3, the members of the predominantly Arab Joint List lent a helping hand to the right-wing coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Arab Knesset members absented themselves from a vote on the first reading of an amendment to the law concerning conscription of the ultra-Orthodox into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The move was part of an understanding that they had reached with the ultra-Orthodox parties.
Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members voted against the amendment — which passed 63-39 — but behind the scenes, the ultra-Orthodox lawmakers support the law and are planning to vote for it when it comes up again, in two more rounds of voting. Over the past few years, the Supreme Court has rejected several versions of the law. The ultra-Orthodox know that considering the limitations imposed by the court, the current version is the best they can hope for for now, so they preferred that their Arab colleagues leave the plenum rather than threaten its chances for approval.
