Bereaved Father Backs MK Moshe Solomon After His Vote Against Draft Equality Bill

Bereaved father Hagi Lover publicly defended MK Moshe Solomon of the Religious Zionism party after Solomon was the only member of his faction to vote against equating Torah students with IDF servicemembers under the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study. Lover said Solomon paid a political price for the move and was subsequently suspended from all Knesset committees.

In a post, Lover said he realized only after the fact whom he had voted for in the last election. “I did not know this when I put the ‘Religious Zionism’ ballot into the box, but it turns out I voted for you,” he wrote. He said his vote was for “honesty, truth, public courage, standing up to pressure,” adding that Solomon “represents all of these.”

Lover also said he backed Religious Zionism because he expected it to advance its own ideological goals, not allow what he called a “draft evasion declaration” to pass under the guise of the Basic Law: Torah Study. He praised Solomon’s refusal to support the bill despite the cost, saying he acted “with determination and political sacrifice.”

Addressing Solomon’s suspension, Lover wrote that “your ballot is suspended too” and suggested he and many others might reconsider their vote in the next election. He also urged fellow party members not to support the bill, arguing that it speaks loftily about Torah while omitting any reference to military service.