Likud Judge Emmanuel Wizer Quits Party Over Controversial Draft Law

Emmanuel Wizer, a judge on the Likud party's internal court, announced his resignation from the party on Tuesday. He cited the party's support for the "Draft Dodgers Law," which grants legal immunity to individuals avoiding military service based on sectarian affiliation, as his reason for leaving. In his resignation letter, Wizer condemned the vote as disgraceful and expressed his hope that in the upcoming elections, Likud would split and be forced to ally with right-wing parties possessing moral backbone that resist ultra-Orthodox political pressure.

Earlier the same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel declared she would resign from her government post following the approval of the draft law freezing arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. Haskel emphasized her inability to continue serving in a government that effectively exempts those refusing military service from accountability.

These departures highlight growing internal dissent within Likud over the controversial legislation, which critics argue undermines equal military service obligations and yields to ultra-Orthodox political leverage. The party now faces potential fragmentation ahead of the next elections as debates over the law intensify.