Rishon LeZion Hints at Criticism of United Torah Judaism: “We Agreed, Others Opposed”
The Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, spoke sharply on Wednesday evening, in comments that appeared to hint at criticism of the Agudat Yisrael faction, which had opposed the earlier version of the draft law and the arrangement of yeshiva students’ status with sanctions and targets.
“It is very unfortunate that they did not pass the law regulating the status of yeshiva students in the past month, when Likud had already agreed to cooperate, we agreed, and others in the ultra-Orthodox parties opposed it,” the Rishon LeZion said. “Maybe because of this we are seeing all the arrests.”
Yosef’s remarks come against the backdrop of an unprecedented wave of arrests of yeshiva students in recent days, as police transfer yeshiva students to the military police under a new policy by Police Commissioner Danny Levy. As recalled, heated debates were held in the coalition in the past over the draft law. While the Shas and Degel HaTorah factions expressed willingness to advance the proposed law, Agudat Yisrael, led by faction chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, opposed the wording, mainly because of concerns over the targets and sanctions included in it.
Today, the Basic Law: Torah Study passed in the Knesset in a preliminary reading, a step seen as an attempt to provide an alternative response to the issue of the status of yeshiva students. However, according to the Rishon LeZion, the earlier proposed law could have prevented the current wave of arrests.
His sharp remarks reflect the growing tension between the ultra-Orthodox factions over the right strategy for dealing with the draft issue. While Shas and Degel HaTorah believed a law should be advanced that would grant legal status to yeshiva students, even at the cost of some compromises, Agudat Yisrael preferred to wait for more complete legislation.
It should be noted that last year the Rishon LeZion instructed yeshiva students to tear up and throw away the draft orders the IDF sends them. “I said that if a draft order arrives, tear it up, tear it up, throw it in the toilet and flush it,” he said then in a direct instruction.
