After only two and a half months since Shaul Mofaz and his Kadima party formed a coalition with the government, the party leader announced his withdrawal on Tuesday, reasoning the move by the inability to reach an agreement over a new military law that would draft Orthodox citizens to the army or civil service.
"I was ready to make historical compromises for the sake of the country's soldiers, but there was also a red line. People, who suggest that Orthodox youth should be drafted at the age of 26, do not want equality for their citizens," said Mofaz, addressing a crowd of soldiers and their families at the headquarters of his party in Petach Tikvah.
Kadima's pull-out is said to have no influence on the stability of the current government or the elections sceduled for 2013.