Israeli Government Secretary Urges Freeze on Arrests of Draft-Dodging Ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva Students

Yossi Fox, the Secretary of the Israeli Government, has sent an urgent letter to Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, calling for legislation to temporarily halt criminal proceedings against Torah students. Fox warned that the current policy, under which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrests yeshiva students whose exemption status has expired, is causing a dangerous rift within Israeli society.

Fox highlighted that following a Supreme Court ruling, the IDF has been conducting frequent arrest operations in coordination with the Israeli police without distinguishing between actively studying yeshiva students and those who are not. He argued that these actions deepen the divide with the ultra-Orthodox community and do not effectively contribute to military recruitment.

The government secretary revealed that yeshiva leaders have expressed to him that the wave of arrests is causing severe distress among the ultra-Orthodox public, fostering feelings of persecution and resentment rather than building trust. As a solution, Fox proposed including a temporary provision in the pending conscription law that would suspend arrests of yeshiva students for a three-month period coinciding with the election campaign, provided their status as bona fide students is verified.

Fox emphasized that this temporary measure would not exempt students from IDF service obligations but aims to reduce tensions and prevent a potential internal conflict within Israeli society. He described the freeze as essential for creating the calm needed to develop broader, consensual solutions rather than coercive measures that could lead to societal breakdown.