Rabbi Yaakov Medan Criticizes Arrests of Haredim and Calls for Respect to IDF Reservists

Rabbi Yaakov Medan expressed opposition to the current practice of arresting Haredi individuals who refuse to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), arguing that such measures are counterproductive and risk alienating Haredim from joining frameworks like Hesder yeshivas and other IDF service tracks. However, he also acknowledged the perspective of IDF reservists, including close family members, who repeatedly serve in combat and view the recent temporary law halting these arrests as a political compromise made ahead of elections, which they feel undermines their significant efforts to maintain military manpower during ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere.

Medan highlighted that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee prevented an IDF representative from presenting the military's position on the law. He noted that the IDF Chief of Staff, in his letter to the Prime Minister and Defense Minister, expressed the pain of soldiers and their families, fulfilling his duty rather than exercising a right. The Chief of Staff also argued that the IDF is neither responsible nor qualified to distinguish between Haredim who study Torah and those who do not, and requested that the committee formed to address this issue exclude military personnel, a stance Medan found reasonable.

Furthermore, Medan criticized calls by Tali Gottlieb and others to remove the Chief of Staff amid ongoing conflicts and the potential for a third war, describing such demands as unjust and illogical. He praised the Chief of Staff as a capable leader who understands his soldiers and effectively guides the army through complex challenges, deserving greater appreciation and less criticism.