Eisenkot says opposition bloc will ‘not surrender’ on conscription amid haredi coalition talks

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot said on Tuesday that the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not give up on the issue of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription, amid ongoing coalition talks in which the bloc has considered partnering with haredi parties."We are committed to service for all citizens. We will not surrender on the issue of service. We will not surrender our flags or principles,” Eisenkot said at the first Yashar faction meeting in the Knesset ahead of the inaugural ceremony to swear in the 26th Knesset.Party leaders in the opposition bloc have recently opened the door to negotiations with the haredi parties after previously drawing a red line against partnering with them, offering an alternative path to forming a government amid the political deadlock between the opposition bloc and Netanyahu's camp following the October 27 elections. The haredi parties - Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) - had repeatedly pushed against legislation to draft haredim to the IDF amid the military's severe manpower crisis throughout the government's past term.Eisenkot officially received the mandate to form a government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday at a ceremony at the President's Residence.