Yehadut HaTorah Chair Goldknopf Criticizes Netanyahu Over Draft Law Remarks

Yehadut HaTorah chairman and Knesset member Yitzhak Goldknopf responded sharply to recently published private remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the controversial draft law and the status of yeshiva students. Goldknopf stated that Netanyahu's admission that the "arrest law" failed confirms that there was never a genuine intention to advance a draft law or regulate the status of yeshiva students and their scholars. He described the arrest law as "just another spin" that was never meant to resolve the crisis.

Goldknopf emphasized that his party left the coalition because they realized Netanyahu did not plan to bring a draft law forward. He declared that after the upcoming elections, Yehadut HaTorah will only join a government that regulates the status of yeshiva students and their scholars. This response comes amid ongoing political turmoil following the leak of Netanyahu's closed-door comments, which revealed he does not intend to reinstate the frozen arrest law but aims to promote a comprehensive draft law.

The controversy has sparked harsh criticism not only from opposition leaders but also from former Likud members like Gilad Erdan and MK Dan Illouz, who expressed public skepticism about Netanyahu's promises on the draft law. Goldknopf's statement is particularly notable as it highlights the deep divisions between Netanyahu and one of his former key coalition partners on a highly sensitive political issue in Israel.