Shas Party Won't Join Coalition Without Yeshiva Student Draft Exemption

Arie Deri, the leader of the Shas party, declared that the party will not join any government unless the issue of exempting yeshiva students from military service and protecting them from arrest for draft evasion is legally resolved. Deri stated this position in a special edition of the party's newspaper, "HaDerech," promising to address the matter immediately after the elections. This announcement comes amid arrests of yeshiva students evading military service and calls from several parties to expand the draft of ultra-Orthodox individuals into the IDF.

Deri emphasized that Shas will not abandon its demands and will pursue them with even greater persistence after the elections. He also sharply criticized a High Court of Justice decision to cancel a law that would have temporarily suspended arrests of yeshiva students. Deri claimed the law, passed after significant effort, was overturned by "one judge" in a decision he called "arbitrary and scandalous," though the article notes the law was unanimously canceled by a nine-judge panel.

Deri expressed disbelief that after over 40 years in the Knesset and government, he would have to fight even for a temporary halt to such arrests. He dedicated a significant portion of his statement to the families of yeshiva students, describing their constant anxiety and fear that their sons studying Torah could be detained and imprisoned. Deri characterized the situation as persecution for choosing to study Torah and shared that meetings with these parents have caused him distress.

The special edition of "HaDerech" also includes calls from Shas representatives for party success in the upcoming elections. Its cover features a message from the party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, urging followers not to remain indifferent when "Torah is humiliated" and to act if they have the opportunity.