Shas Chairman Deri: IDF Should Handle Haredi Draft, Not Me

Arie Deri, chairman of the Shas party, stated in an interview with Kol Barama radio that the Israeli military does not truly desire Haredi soldiers and that the IDF should manage the issue of their conscription. Deri asserted that the responsibility for drafting Haredim who do not study Torah lies with the army, not with him, and that the ultimate decision rests with senior rabbis.

When asked if he would call on Haredim not studying Torah to enlist, Deri responded, "I don't need to call for that." He added, "The army, with all due respect, which knows how to bomb in Iran, this army also knows how to deal with it. Let it deal with it. The army doesn't want Haredi soldiers." Deri suggested that integrating Haredim into the military presents a significant challenge for the IDF, causing them a "very big headache" as they prefer a secular army not beholden to rabbis.

Deri argued that the need for more soldiers only became apparent after the IDF's shift to a "small and technological army" concept revealed a manpower deficit for border security. He also criticized proposals, such as one by Gadi Eisenkot, that would require most Haredim to enlist while allowing a small minority to continue their studies, questioning the authority to decide who studies and who serves.

Shas's stance, according to Deri, is to allow anyone who wishes to study Torah to do so. He deferred questions about specific military tracks, like the Hasmonean Brigade, to senior rabbinical authorities, stating, "I haven't checked that. For that, there are the great rabbis of Israel."