National Religious Public Falls for Deceptive Draft Law Campaign

Ahead of the elections, he warns, "We must take responsibility and come to our senses, so that the pain and anger do not turn into weeping for generations." The rabbi argues that successful campaigns, especially those involving "deception" and "mind engineering," manipulate genuine public pain with false facts and data. He draws a parallel to the biblical story of Noah, whose efforts to warn people of the flood were met with ridicule and disbelief, illustrating how a deceptive campaign can succeed by discrediting the messenger and offering false reassurances.

The article asserts that the "Draft Evasion Law" campaign is a prime example of such a successful, deceptive operation in Israel since the state's founding. It claims the campaign has incited the National Religious public not only against the Haredi public but also internally, causing some to turn against their natural political representatives with false accusations. This, the author contends, has led them to favor political factions whose allies are associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and openly declare intentions to harm Israeli interests and identity, while simultaneously convincing themselves these threats are hollow.

The "genius" deceptive campaign, according to the article, identified the genuine pain within the National Religious community stemming from war casualties and the heavy burden of long reserve duties, along with their anger towards the Haredi public's perceived lack of contribution. The campaign manipulatively linked these issues, creating the impression that a sweeping "conscription law" for "everyone" and "now" would immediately alleviate reservist burdens and that draconian sanctions would force Haredi enlistment. The law, spearheaded by MK Bismut, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, had unprecedented enlistment targets and the agreement of Haredi rabbis, aiming to integrate nearly 30,000 Haredi soldiers into the IDF within five years, with a significant portion in combat roles and facing severe sanctions.

The author, a retired colonel and head of a hesder yeshiva, states that these numbers were unprecedented and that the IDF was not immediately prepared to absorb such a large influx. He argues that the manipulation regarding the reservist burden was based on falsehoods and withheld facts. He claims the immediate solution to reduce reservist load, which was hidden from the public, was the return to service of tens of thousands of reservists released under former Chief of Staff Eizenkot, who have not yet returned. Furthermore, he contends that the draconian sanctions would not only fail to bring about Haredi enlistment but would also deter those who wish to enlist, fearing they would be seen as collaborators. The article notes that this is indeed happening, with those arrested not enlisting after their detention.

The "deceptive campaign" successfully concealed the fact that it was led by former senior IDF officials who opposed Haredi enlistment and obstructed previous initiatives. Following the failure of the "draft law," these individuals publicly stated that "not everyone can be drafted" and "not now," but rather through a lengthy process. The author concludes by urging the National Religious public to take responsibility and regain composure before the upcoming elections, which he deems critical for Israel's identity and future, to prevent lasting regret.