In an interview with Channel 7, Shas MK Moshe Abutbul discussed the stalled conscription bill, protests over the arrest of yeshiva students, and his party's ties with the coalition. He said Shas wants to keep cooperating with the government, but cannot accept that the enlistment bill promised when the cabinet was formed has still not passed.
Abutbul said, "We are in a very, very complicated period and in a very, very big whirlpool," adding that the conscription legislation is "stuck in our throat" and is "a great pain" for his party. On the protests surrounding the arrests of yeshiva students, he said the ultra-Orthodox community is deeply hurt and that Shas leadership is acting under the guidance of the Council of Torah Sages and party chairman Aryeh Deri.
He said he recently visited Prison 10 and met detainees in an effort to "ease the great pain we are in." Abutbul reiterated Shas's long-standing position that Torah study is a central pillar in protecting the Jewish people alongside the work of IDF soldiers. "We of course appreciate them, admire those soldiers," he said, while adding that Torah learners are the ones who, "with God's help, add strength and courage to those holy and righteous soldiers."
Abutbul also criticized military service conditions for religious Jews, saying more accommodations are needed and that both Torah students and religious soldiers should be respected. He said he was unaware of any deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas and United Torah Judaism over advancing other bills, and said Shas opposes a state commission of inquiry, which he described as consistent with the right-wing camp's longstanding view. He argued that Shas's partners in the bloc get their demands met while the ultra-Orthodox public does not, warning, "We will not be a rubber stamp." He also criticized Religious Zionism for not backing the ultra-Orthodox struggle, saying, "Today it is us, tomorrow it will reach you," and called for broader cooperation between ultra-Orthodox and national-religious communities.
