Haredi Newspaper Mivaser Criticizes President Herzog for Selective Protest on Draft Arrests

The Haredi newspaper Mivaser sharply criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a Wednesday editorial for his perceived silence regarding the recent wave of arrests of draft-dodging Haredi men and the accompanying economic sanctions imposed on the ultra-Orthodox community. The editorial accuses Herzog of hypocrisy, arguing that he only speaks out against division and civil strife when it suits the establishment's agenda, while ignoring the suffering of the Haredi public.

This attack came less than 24 hours after Herzog returned from a state visit to Bucharest, where he condemned antisemitism and hatred against Jews. At the Herzliya Conference, Herzog warned of the dangers of civil war and called for a "new Israeli covenant." However, the editorial claims that despite his calls for unity, Herzog’s silence on the harsh measures against the Haredi sector in Israel is deafening.

The article draws a pointed comparison, questioning what Herzog would say if in Romania a devout Jew was arrested for studying Torah, or if a foreign country deprived Jewish children of education and basic support due to their father’s lifestyle. It suggests Herzog would strongly defend religious freedom and minority rights abroad but remains silent when Haredi yeshiva students are imprisoned in Israel.

The editorial’s main grievance is not only the arrests but also the expanding legal and economic restrictions, especially the cancellation of subsidies for daycare and after-school programs for families of draft-exempt Haredi men. It condemns these policies as using children as pawns in a political and judicial struggle.

Timed with the start of the Three Weeks mourning period, the article calls on Herzog to awaken to the pain of the Haredi community, warning that ignoring their suffering only deepens social divisions. It concludes that silence in the face of these policies is not neutrality but part of the problem.