Day 175 of the Israel-Hamas Gaza War
1. A Political Crisis Threatening PM Netanyahu’s Coalition Due to High Court of Justice Ruling
The High Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that the State should halt funding for Yeshiva students who are eligible, by their age and fitness, to be conscripted to the army. The ruling goes into effect on April 1st in principle, while in practice most of the ruling will take effect on August 9th. The funding has been a part of coalition agreements since the establishment of the State. Haredi political leaders have attacked the justices, and threatened that they will encourage the Yeshiva students to refuse the draft. PM Netanyahu promised he will find a way to overcome the ruling and continue funding the Haredi students.
This yeshiva students draft exemption is a result of the agreement that was signed shortly after the 1948 founding of the state of Israel. The 1948 agreement was brokered between Israel’s founding father, the first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, and the religious establishment. The high court ruling now threatens to end PM Netanyahu’s coalition. The agreement, part of what is called the status quo document, was intended to formalize the relations between the young state and religious institutions by documenting a political understanding between secular and religious political parties not to alter the 1948 existing communal arrangements in relation to religious matters. Part of the agreement included a clause that allowed Yeshiva students to be excluded from the mandatory draft for the army. At the time it was a few hundred students who received special permission to study Torah and Talmud (Jewish ancient books) instead of their compulsory army service. In addition, those students received scholarships from the state, a living stipend, to enable their studies. Over the years the numbers of those Yeshiva students has substantially grown to the point where it became a heavy burden on the state budget. It also created a status of inequality compared to other Jewish eighteen years olds, who have to give three years compulsory service in the army, as well as continue to give years of ongoing service in the reserves. Many appeals to the High Court of Justice were submitted over the years demanding equality for all. All the arrangements that were agreed upon between different coalition members, have not created an acceptable framework of equality to date.
The October 7th war in Gaza exposed the inequality very dramatically . While tens of thousands of young soldiers risked their lives in Gaza protecting the state, more than 60,000 Yeshiva students aged between 18-24, all belonging to the Haredi communities, did not share the burden. Another appeal to the High Court of Justice is waiting for a ruling, while the coalition has not reached an agreement with the political representatives of the Haredim. The crisis is already in the making and this may push the coalition to collapse. If the government issues another arrangement that excludes the Haredim from the mandatory draft, thousands will go to the streets to protest, demanding the Haredim share the burden. If the court rules to impose the draft on the Haredim under the need to keep equality of the national military service burden for all, the government will probably collapse.
2. The Rupture Between Israel and the Biden Administration is Deepening
In a rare diplomatic move, the US decided not to veto a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all the hostages. Hamas praised the call for a ceasefire. PM Netanyahu’s policy opposes any kind of ceasefire until they “eliminate Hamas”, by the IDF entering the southern town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. President Biden strongly opposes entering Rafah, mainly because the area is densely populated by 1.2 million Palestinians refugees who were displaced from their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, caused by the war, has already resulted in extensive damage with a huge toll in human lives, many of them children. According to a UN report there is a growing condition of famine in the area with not enough food, drinking water and medical supplies. The rupture between Israel and the US is mainly around the conflict between PM Netanyahu who insists on the IDF entering Rafah and President Biden who opposes it. Eventually PM Netanyahu decided to allow a delegation of senior government representatives to travel to the US to meet with American officials and discuss the Rafah plan.
3. Released Hostage Amit Soussana Speaks Up About Sexual Violence in Hamas Captivity
Amit Soussana, an Israeli lawyer, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 from her home in the Gaza envelop and was released after more than 50 days. In an interview with the New York Times, Soussana related that she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint by her captor and later tortured by several Hamas guards in the presence of other female hostages. Soussana is the first woman released from Hamas captivity to openly speak up about the sexual violence inflicted upon her. Her account echos the findings of the report by UN special envoy Pramila Patten, presented to the UN Security Council two weeks ago, stipulating that she found “clear and convincing information’ that hostages held in Gaza are subjected to sexual violence”.
During yet another dramatic week, the Knesset coalition voted for the Knesset to go on a six-week recess, from April 8th through May 18th.
Families of the hostages being held by Hamas clashed with MKs in the Knesset House Committee over what they called a “shameful” and “disconnected” decision to recess amidst the war and hostages’ crisis.
An activist for the release of the hostages, whose wife and daughter were abducted and later released by Hamas told members of the Knesset he will continue to monitor their work during the recess: “everyone who sat here and voted to approve – this isn’t a threat; it’s a promise. Every member of the Knesset who raised their hand – I will check carefully what he’s doing.” MK Pindros (United Torah Judaism), a member of the committee, responded with a dismissive slang phrase “yalla, yalla” (come on, come on).
Following the vote in favor of a six-week recess, members of Knesset from the opposition parties wrote to the Speaker of the Knesset objecting to the recess during war time, stipulating that it is “incumbent on us, the public’s representatives, not to stop taking care of the citizens of Israel’s problems at normal times and all the more so in a time of war.”
4. One Israeli Was Killed, Another Was Wounded, Severe Damage Caused to Houses in Northern Israel
An escalation in the already tense military clashes between Israel and the Lebanese Islamic organization Hizbollah, has had a human toll and caused severe damage. Hizbollah started targeting communities on the border between Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon shortly after the Hamas October 7th attack in the south. Hamas believed that Hizbollah would open a second front with Israel in support of Hamas. Hizbollah did not initiate a war, but started attacking Israeli communities with rocket and anti tank missile fire aimed at settlements in the north. All the Kibbutzim and small communities in northern Israel on the border with Lebanon were evacuated after October 7th, due to concerns that what happened in the south, with hundreds of militants entering communities and massacring inhabitants, would happen with Hizbollah militants in the north. As a result all those communities have been displaced since. Hizbollah and Israel are engaged in on going tit-for-tat confrontation with Hizbollah rocket and missile fire and IAF jets responding by bombing Hizbollah positions. The USA administration is concerned by the possibility of a regional war, that will also involve Lebanon and Syria. This concern has an added layer of concern since Russia is the main sponsor of Syria. If Israel initiates a full scale war in the region, it may involve Russia and Iran, something that President Biden will do everything in his power to prevent.
5. Jerusalem Holds Purim Parade Despite Objections from Hostages’ Families
For the first time in 42 years, Jerusalem held a festive Purim parade, attended by tens of thousands of people.
The decision by the Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, to hold a festive parade during wartime and with 134 hostages still held by Hamas, sparked public uproar among the hostages’ families and their supporters, who urged the mayor to cancel the parade.
Following widespread criticism, the mayor met with representatives of the hostages’ families and assured them that the parade would be held in solidarity with the hostages and in an atmosphere suitable to the somber time. The mayor invited hostage families to march with him at the head of the march. The hostage families were divided over the participation in the parade; while some of them led the march alongside the mayor, others protested on the sidelines, calling “feel the pain of your fellow human, bring them all home now!”
To our readers: Please note that we are embedding links to further details behind the summaries for each item. You can see the links by their blue color and, if you are interested in further details, you can click on the link to access the relevant article/s.