Netanyahu Reassures Ultra-Orthodox Leaders After Halting Draft Law Advancement

Immediately after announcing that the "Detention Law" would not be advanced in the next government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a reassuring message to the heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and Degel HaTorah. Netanyahu stated, "I said we will draft 'those who do not study', this aligns with the ultra-Orthodox demand in the draft law," as reported by Kan News on Sunday evening. Following this clarification, Shas leader Aryeh Deri and Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni refrained from commenting, treating Netanyahu's statement as a campaign remark. However, United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf criticized Netanyahu's announcement, saying, "We will only join a government after the status of yeshiva students and scholars is secured."

In response to Netanyahu's remarks, opposition figures voiced strong criticism. "Beyachad" party leader Naftali Bennett accused Netanyahu of insulting the serving public, stating that after four years of preventing ultra-Orthodox enlistment and ignoring military warnings, Netanyahu expects Israelis to forget within 90 days. Gadi Eisenkot, head of the "Yashar" party, said Netanyahu continues to disrespect the public and that the new narrative stems from fear of poll results. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, accused Netanyahu of deflecting from his failures and asserted, "He has no government without draft evaders." Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats, called Netanyahu's message a cynical spin from someone disconnected from Israel's security, emphasizing Netanyahu's long history of enabling draft evasion and accusing him of blatant lies to halt voter loss.

The debate highlights ongoing tensions over the ultra-Orthodox draft issue ahead of upcoming elections, with Netanyahu attempting to balance coalition demands and public criticism. The ultra-Orthodox parties remain cautious, while opposition leaders continue to challenge Netanyahu's credibility on security and military service matters.