Overview

• The Knesset House Committee approved Yuli Edelstein’s removal by a narrow 9-7 vote and immediately elected Boaz Bismuth as the new chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
• Boaz Bismuth pledged to advance a comprehensive draft law targeting the decades-old military exemptions enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.
• Yuli Edelstein argued that his ouster would sow chaos in the Israel Defense Forces and credited himself with blocking a “draft evasion law” favoring the Haredi sector.
• Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik cautioned that the abrupt leadership change could disrupt the bill’s formulation and critically weaken legislative procedures.
• The dispute over Haredi conscription continues to strain coalition alliances and intensify national debate over Israel’s military readiness.