New Haredi Party 'Black Flag' Emerges to Challenge Shas and United Torah Judaism Over IDF Draft Exemptions

A new Haredi political party named "Black Flag" is set to form ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections, aiming to compete with established parties Shas and United Torah Judaism. This initiative, reported for the first time on Saturday night, is a coalition of dozens of rabbis and yeshiva heads from the mainstream Haredi community, including Hasidim, Sephardim, and Lithuanians. Their sole focus is to secure draft exemptions from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for Torah scholars without sanctions, restoring the previous status quo.

Unlike traditional Haredi parties, the candidates for Black Flag are expected to be rabbis rather than politicians or activists. Internal surveys conducted in several yeshivas indicate tens of thousands of Haredim, many of whom are draft dodgers, could support this cause. This new party could significantly disrupt the political balance by drawing support from the mainstream Haredi sector rather than fringe groups like the Jerusalem Faction.

The party's name refers to a hotline called "Black Flag," which warns of military police arrests of draft dodgers and has helped prevent dozens of arrests by mobilizing protests. This hotline connects about 100,000 Haredim, symbolizing considerable grassroots power.

In related events, on Wednesday afternoon, Haredi protesters blocked Highway 4 near Bnei Brak to protest a draft dodger's arrest, causing major traffic jams before police declared the demonstration illegal. In Givat Shmuel, a soldier was chased and verbally abused by Haredi protesters, prompting the city's mayor, Yossi Brodny, to condemn the attacks and call on Haredi leaders to support IDF soldiers.

Additionally, on Thursday, Israel Porush, former mayor of Elad and a senior Haredi figure considered moderate, warned of an impending civil conflict within Israeli society during a youth camp in Jerusalem. Porush criticized the growing extremism and harsh rhetoric within the Haredi community, highlighting the deepening divide. He is the son of Knesset member Meir Porush and is expected to enter national politics in the future.

These developments illustrate rising tensions within the Haredi sector and between the community and the Israeli state, with the new party potentially reshaping political dynamics around the contentious issue of military conscription exemptions.