Netanyahu Defends Law Suspending Yeshiva Student Arrests Amid Supreme Court Injunction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rejected criticism of the law suspending arrests of yeshiva students for draft evasion, calling the opposition "false propaganda" without basis. In phone conversations with ministers, Netanyahu emphasized that the law aims to encourage military enlistment rather than increase arrests. "We want recruits, not detainees. The more arrests there are, the fewer enlist," he said, citing feedback from heads of Hesder yeshivas who report that arrest threats halt enlistment and sow division.

Netanyahu also stressed that those who do not study Torah must face the full weight of the law. Addressing criticism of the Basic Law on Torah Study, he defended it as a recognition of Torah study as a fundamental Jewish heritage that has sustained the people of Israel for centuries. "What do they want? The law states that Torah study is a core value in Israel’s heritage. That’s all. Nothing more," he said.

Earlier on the same day, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the law suspending arrests of yeshiva students from taking effect, thereby allowing arrests to continue for now. Justice Ofer Grosskopf also issued a conditional order requiring the respondents, including the Knesset and government, to explain why the law should not be annulled. Notably, this conditional order was issued unusually at the initial decision stage, before the first hearing or preliminary responses were received.