Jerusalem: Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant has submitted his resignation from the country’s parliament, Knesset, the Times of Israel newspaper reported on Thursday.
However, Galant remains a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, the newspaper said, citing the ex-minister’s live statement.
Galant reportedly explains his decision by disagreement with the actions of Netanyahu and incumbent Defense Minister Israel Katz aimed at exempting Orthodox Jews from service in the Israel Defense Forces.
In mid-December, Katz presented the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee with new guidelines for the conscription law, under which about 50% of ultra-Orthodox youths will be subject to conscription. Israeli news portal Ynet reported then that this figure will be reached within about seven years.
Galant in July advocated for expanding the scope of conscription to include ultra-Orthodox Jews. Israel’s ultra-religious circles are convinced that through the study of sacred texts, ultra-Orthodox Jews share the public burden and make a significant contribution to the inviolability and stability of the Jewish state.
