npr.org

Israel’s vice premier demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept a panel’s contentious guidelines for reforming the country’s military draft rules, but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the governing coalition if the Israeli leader refuses.

Shaul Mofaz, chairman of parliament’s largest party, Kadima, told reporters Netanyahu “crassly” violated their coalition agreement on Monday when he disbanded the panel, which proposed ending sweeping exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men and penalizing them if they dodge the draft. Many Israelis deplore the privileges that the ultra-Orthodox receive, but Netanyahu is reluctant to alienate what are traditional supporters by adopting proposals they vehemently oppose.

“If the proposals aren’t adopted we won’t be able to look our sons and daughters in the eye,” Mofaz said at the start of a Kadima faction meeting. “The ball is in the prime minister’s court. It’s a matter of days.”