Shas Party Leader Aryeh Deri: IDF Should Handle Non-Torah Students' Draft

Arieh Deri, the chairman of the Shas party, stated in a radio interview on Thursday that he does not need to call on young Haredim who do not study Torah to enlist in the IDF, asserting that the military should manage the issue itself. "The army that knows how to bomb in Iran knows how to deal with them, let it deal with it," Deri said in an interview with Kol Barama radio. He also claimed the IDF does not want to draft Haredim because it causes them a "headache" and that the military prefers a secular army, not one composed of individuals who listen to their rabbis.

Deri further criticized the lack of "real Haredi tracks" within the army, and when asked about the Hasmonean unit, he stated he had not investigated it. He argued that before drafting Haredi youth, the army must first settle the status of Torah scholars. Deri suggested that past attempts to draft Haredim were a "mirage" and that the current manpower shortage in the IDF, revealed by the recent conflict, has highlighted the need for more soldiers to guard the borders.

His remarks drew sharp criticism from political opponents. Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, accused Deri of becoming "Israel's number one encourager of draft evasion" and of acting against the IDF and Haredi enlistment, stating that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef would be "turning in his grave."

These comments come amid a reported increase in Haredi enlistment. In August, over 500 Haredi men enlisted, including approximately 300 combat soldiers, a rise from the previous year. However, the overall numbers remain low compared to the potential draft pool of about 14,000 young men annually, with the IDF facing a significant shortage of soldiers.