Netanyahu Aligns With Haredi Demand for Draft Law Before Government Formation
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed alignment with Haredi demands to pass a draft law before the next government is formed, stating "we wish we could." He also criticized the arrest of yeshiva students and emphasized the importance of preserving Torah study while ensuring a new distribution of military service. Opposition leaders, including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid, strongly condemned Netanyahu's remarks, labeling them a "deal" for draft evasion and a threat to national security and the IDF.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed willingness to legislate a draft law before government formation, aligning with Haredi demands.
- Netanyahu criticized arrests of yeshiva students, advocating for the preservation of Torah study and a new distribution of military burden.
- Opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid denounced Netanyahu's statements as a "deal" for draft evasion.
- Bennett and Lapid claimed the "deal" would permit mass evasion by 120,000 Haredi youth and harm the IDF.
- Lapid warned the "evasion law" could lead to a VAT increase and higher prices, contrasting it with his party's plan to fund soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that he aligns with the demand of Haredi parties to legislate a draft law before the formation of the next government, though he did not commit to its passage. In an interview with Kol Barama radio, Netanyahu expressed a wish that "we could do this," adding that "whether we can do it before the government is formed? Who knows? It depends on goodwill, on understanding and cooperation."
Netanyahu acknowledged frustration within the Haredi public regarding the draft issue, recalling a previous attempt to pass a draft law that fell short by one vote. He suggested that passing such a law in the next term could "settle the relationship between the Haredi and secular populations for generations," balancing the preservation of Torah study with a new distribution of the military burden. He also strongly opposed the arrest of yeshiva students, calling it "unacceptable" and an attempt to "harm the process of recruiting Haredim without coercion," while noting that those who do not study should enlist.
Regarding the possibility of Haredi parties cooperating with Gadi Eisenkot after the elections, Netanyahu expressed low probability, hoping it would be a "marginal phenomenon." He emphasized the "great closeness" between the religious and faith-based public, their shared heritage, and the "terrible alternative" of other political outcomes.
Opposition leaders reacted sharply to Netanyahu's remarks. Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of promising a "draft evasion law" as a condition for government formation, contrasting it with his own vision of a "Zionist draft government." Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called it the "Bibi-Deri deal," claiming Netanyahu promised to legislate an "evasion law" that would officially permit mass evasion by 120,000 healthy Haredi youth, thereby "dismantling the IDF." He proposed redirecting 30 billion shekels from evaders to soldiers.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid also condemned the statement as a "disgusting deal with Deri and Goldknopf," alleging that Netanyahu is "selling our fighters" by promising a draft evasion law that weakens the IDF and national security. Lapid warned that such a law could lead to a VAT increase to 22%, with prices rising, and contrasted it with his party's proposal to take 30 billion shekels from draft evaders and allocate it to soldiers and taxpayers.
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