Free Republic

Governments in Israel rarely manage to stay in power for a full four years, so the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is just one year shy of serving a complete term is unusual. He may not go to the distance, at least not this time. The Israeli media on Sunday was abuzz with rumors that an early general election could take place within months. Israelis were scheduled to go to the polls in October 2013. Among the situations that could result in early elections is growing opposition to the Tal Law, the legal framework that allows ultra-Orthodox Jewish men...

May. 17, 2006 0:44 | Updated May. 17, 2006 5:48 Olmert promises UTJ 5-year extension of Tal Law By ANSHEL PFEFFER Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised United Torah Judaism that the coalition will support a five-year extension of the Tal Law. Although the law, which allows yeshiva students to defer their army service, was not canceled by the Supreme Court in its ruling last Thursday, the court stressed that the law ran against civil equality and may be considered unconstitutional in the future. While official coalition talks between UTJ and Kadima are to resume only in a couple of...