Party wants time for consideration of its proposed Tal Law replacement

Yisrael Beytenu faction head MK Robert Ilatov called on Sunday for a one-week postponement of the dissolution of the Knesset, so that his party’s proposal for replacing the now-defunct Tal Law could be pushed through the legislature. The plea was made through the party’s Facebook page.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to officially call for early elections, slated for September 4, at Sunday evening’s meeting of the Likud central committee.

Struck down by the Supreme Court in February, the decade-old Tal Law gave ultra-Orthodox men a deferral from mandatory military service until age 22, if they pursued full-time religious studies in a yeshiva.

If a replacement for the law is not passed before the Knesset is dissolved, it is unlikely that new legislation on the matter would be addressed until after the September elections and the formation of a new government.

A Likud spokesperson told The Times of Israel that the heads of the current coalition’s parties agreed to vote this week in favor of the Knesset’s dissolution, adding that she hoped they would respect the agreement. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 05/06/12)