Even Likud MKs don’t know what lies in store for them with Bibi

He was referring to UTJ’s key demand that a law regulating the exemption of yeshiva students from military service finally be passed to their satisfaction. The problem with that law is that the Supreme Court has already ruled a similar version of it unconstitutional on equality grounds.

This was why UTJ was demanding an “override clause” that would allow the Knesset to countermand Supreme Court rulings. Such a clause would be seen as a major challenge to the judiciary — and Mr Netanyahu, who has his own issues in court, is wary.

“We don’t have to have an override clause if we can get the exemption passed in a different way,” said the UTJ negotiator. One way of doing that would be to pass a new “basic law” — which in lieu of a formal constitution would have a similar status.

A “basic law” would enshrine the special status of Torah scholars. But even if this can somehow open the path to the exemptions finally being on the books, it would cause a different problem in the coalition.

The Charedi parties may not be adamant on passing the “override clause” if they can get what they want by other methods but Religious Zionism is bent on reducing the powers of the Supreme Court, for ideological reasons. It was a major part of their election manifesto. They won’t look kindly on any deal on this matter. Mr Netanyahu will soon be back in the familiar prime minister’s office but his coalition headaches are far from over.

NEW TREND
Canny ambassadors realised a while ago that the traditional occupation of envoys to Israel — trying to get Israelis and Palestinians to make peace with each other — is a thankless task. With the peace process in deep stagnation, they’ve found other issues to get involved in.

A popular new pastime for diplomats is engaging with the Charedi community.
This week, on the second night of Chanukah, dozens of members of the community arrived at the residence of Britain’s ambassador in Ramat Gan (the ambassador himself was away on Christmas holiday) for a reception marking the launch of “MeGo” — a programme aimed at training 2,000 ultra-Orthodox men as programmers for Israeli tech companies.

The event wasn’t planned to coincide with the coalition negotiations, but in a week when the headlines were about Charedi parties demanding equal funding for strictly-Orthodox schools which refuse to teach a full curriculum of maths, English and sciences, a programme where men in their twenties have to first study these subjects, nearly from scratch, before getting on to the vocational training, felt almost subversive.

“With some of the students we really have to begin with the English alphabet and check they can do basic arithmetic,” said Uriel Shechter, one of the trainers.

Yossi Miller, a Slonim Chassid and father of two children, said he had decided to join the programme when it became clear to him that he was no longer going to be studying Torah all day and wanted to “make a decent living, which I can’t without any qualifications.” He admitted that many of his friends “have a mental obstacle” when it comes to seeking work outside the community.

When asked whether he wants his children to have the same education as he had, without learning secular subjects, he smiled: “Maybe they’ll choose for themselves.”

A senior adviser of one of the Haredi parties was also at the event. “Look, it’s obvious that we need many more in our community to have the qualifications to work in tech and this means also changes in our schools,” he said.

“But it won’t happen if we’re forced to do so by the government.

“The change will come from within, naturally.”