Senior Hasidic leaders are demanding that each of the 48 lawmakers in Israel's change bloc personally sign a commitment to support an exemption from military service, along with an override clause in case the High Court of Justice strikes down a draft law, journalist Amit Segal reported.
According to the report, senior figures from several Hasidic courts met earlier this week at the home of the son of the Slonimer Rebbe to draw up their demands ahead of coalition negotiations. Participants included a prominent rebbe, representatives of the Gur and Vizhnitz Hasidic courts, and rabbis.
The meeting comes as the change bloc and the chareidi parties hold talks on forming a government, with change bloc leaders working behind the scenes to put a coalition together.
Segal reported that a document from the meeting allegedly indicates there have already been contacts with the attorney general.
The demand for an override clause, a legislative mechanism that would allow the Knesset to re-enact a law struck down by the court, reflects the chareidi parties' awareness that any draft law could be overturned by the High Court. According to the report, they are preparing a plan to deal with that possibility.
