Netanyahu Plans to Publicly Distance Himself from Ultra-Orthodox Parties Ahead of Elections

Senior Likud officials revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to publicly distance himself from ultra-Orthodox parties as the upcoming elections approach. A party insider explained that Netanyahu plans to deepen this separation during the campaign while carefully avoiding direct attacks on the ultra-Orthodox bloc to prevent alienating their voter base.

This development follows a recent controversy within the right-wing camp concerning military conscription and attitudes toward IDF soldiers. The dispute intensified after harsh remarks by Rabbi Dov Lando, head of a yeshiva, criticizing segments of the religious Zionist community. Netanyahu responded by affirming his full support for IDF soldiers, emphasizing their sacrifice regardless of religious affiliation, and calling for public appreciation from all sectors, including the religious world.

Netanyahu’s advisor, Yonatan Urich, stressed the importance of refraining from disparaging IDF soldiers and clarified that Rabbi Lando’s comments were a theoretical halachic discussion rather than a direct critique of religious Zionist soldiers. Urich also criticized the yeshiva’s clarification statement as confusing and urged political operatives to remain silent for 99 days to help secure electoral victory.