Yehuda Torah Chair Goldknopf Criticizes Netanyahu Over Failed Draft Law, Demands Yeshiva Status Resolution

Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of the Yehuda Torah faction, sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following revelations of his remarks in a closed-door meeting. Netanyahu admitted that the temporary draft law, aimed at regulating yeshiva students’ military service, had failed and would not be advanced in the next government. This disclosure, reported by Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal, confirmed what Goldknopf and his faction had suspected from the start.

Goldknopf condemned the draft law as a political maneuver that did not solve the underlying issues and expressed regret that it was ever enacted. He accused Netanyahu of lacking genuine intent to regulate the status of yeshiva students and stated that Yehuda Torah left the government because the prime minister had no plans to pass a draft law addressing their concerns.

Looking ahead to the upcoming elections and coalition negotiations, Goldknopf issued a clear ultimatum: Yehuda Torah will only join a government that fully resolves the status of yeshiva students and exempts them from military service. This stance reflects deep frustration within the ultra-Orthodox community over the draft issue and sets a firm red line for future political cooperation.

The background to this dispute includes a recent Supreme Court interim injunction suspending the draft law’s implementation pending a full ruling. Netanyahu had promised in the closed session to form a broad national government after the elections that would immediately pass a comprehensive draft law meeting the Israel Defense Forces’ needs. However, Goldknopf’s statements indicate skepticism about such promises and emphasize the faction’s demand for unconditional recognition of yeshiva students’ status without quotas or sanctions.

Goldknopf’s comments come amid ongoing tensions over military conscription of ultra-Orthodox men, including protests and legal battles, underscoring the issue’s centrality in Israeli politics and coalition building.