Israeli government ‘optimistic’ ahead of political fight over soldiers’ bill

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Members of the Israeli government expressed optimism on Monday ahead of a vote on a bill to help cover soldiers’ tuition.

The bill, which is currently being debated in the Knesset, would anchor into the budget a program that helps cover tuition at institutes of higher education for some of Israel’s most dedicated and needy soldiers – combat unit veterans, new immigrants, lone soldiers and soldiers for poor families.

But the bill, which was supposed to be voted on last week, was being held up in the Knesset after facing surprising objections from none other than Likud.

Coalition members are hope to persuade lawmakers Idit Silman of Yamina and Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi of Meretz to back the bill. Silman left the coalition last month, and Zoabi, who announced her resignation last week, reversed her decision.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on opposition lawmakers to support the bill. “The opposition should grapple with the coalition, not our combat soldiers,” Bennett said in an effort to convince United Arab List and Likud lawmakers to back the bill.

In a faction meeting on Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he “expects all parts of the coalition to work to pass this law,” possibly referring to the UAL. “I won’t accept desertion from any part of the coalition from this vote. Discipline in the coalition isn’t a luxury, but a basic condition for our ability to rule and function.

Gantz also called on Likud lawmakers to support the bill and “bring honor to the Knesset” by putting combat soldiers “above politics.”

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Last week, several Likud lawmakers expressed their intention to defy Netanyahu’s request that they vote against the bill funding academic studies for combat soldiers who have completed their compulsory military service.

The party has found itself in an unlikely confrontation with Israeli soldiers due to its stated policy of never supporting legislation sponsored by the current Israeli government, which ended Netanyahu’s hold on power almost a year ago.

While the current bill aims to anchor into the budget a program that would help cover two-thirds of the tuition fees for needy combat soldiers, Netanyahu claims that he opposed the bill due to the coalition’s unwillingness to fully cover the tuition.

Likud sources criticized Netanyahu’s plan to oppose the bill, with a senior member of the party saying that “Netanyahu is causing very serious damage to Likud in his decision to withhold scholarships from combat soldiers. The public suddenly understands that petty politics are being played at the expense of the soldiers. Every day that passes, the public damage caused to Likud every day is huge. Who would dare to play politics at solders’ expense? He’s dragging us all to new lows.”