Deri Pushes Temporary Fix to Halt Arrests of Yeshiva Students

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is promoting a temporary legislative workaround aimed at stopping the arrests of yeshiva students before the current Knesset term ends. According to coalition sources cited Monday, Deri believes a full enlistment law will not pass in this term, so he is pushing a one-year interim measure that would last until after elections and the formation of a new government.

Deri, who spoke last week in the Shas newspaper HaDerech about turning over “every stone” to stop arrests of Torah students, has now reportedly taken the idea to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs. The plan would split the stalled enlistment bill advanced by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and pass only the bill’s transition clauses as a temporary order for one year. Those clauses would freeze criminal proceedings and halt arrests, while leaving economic sanctions in place.

The proposal is driven by broad agreement in the Knesset, and even among senior IDF officials, that arrests are not actually producing enlistment. Critics say the arrests are deterring some ultra-Orthodox men who might otherwise enlist, while those already targeted are effectively being punished “for studying Torah.” Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has recently said his own enlistment framework would not include arrests, focusing instead on financial penalties, and other opposition lawmakers have voiced similar views.

Deri is seeking to fast-track the move by splitting the legislation so it can go straight to second and third readings, avoiding a new and lengthy drafting process. He also discussed the matter with Fuchs over the past two days, in part to prevent unrest and protests in the streets. A conference call was held in recent days with Defense Minister Israel Katz, coalition chairman Ofir Katz, the cabinet secretary and other senior figures to advance the plan.