Boaz Bismuth's Legislative Push for Haredi Draft Exemption Fails

Boaz Bismuth, a Likud MK and former editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom, has seen his legislative efforts to grant broad draft exemptions to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community stall. In July 2026, Bismuth expressed frustration, stating that "legal counsel, coalition partners, and the media joined forces" to thwart his bill, which he believed the Prime Minister also supported. He vowed to advance it in the next Knesset term.

Bismuth was appointed chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in August 2025, replacing Yuli Edelstein, who was ousted by the Likud party for refusing to advance a draft exemption law favored by the ultra-Orthodox parties. Bismuth presented his version of the draft law in November 2025. However, the Attorney General determined that the proposed law would grant immediate exemptions to over 95% of Haredi men eligible for conscription, effectively exempting all but a small fraction.

The bill faced significant opposition, with a security official calling it a "bluff" because the exemption mechanism remained with rabbinical authorities rather than the IDF. In March 2026, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich announced the shelving of the bill after 86 committee meetings. Bismuth, however, remained defiant, blaming external forces for its failure and reiterating his commitment to passing it in the future.

Bismuth's political career began after his tenure as editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom from 2017 to 2022. He was elected to the Knesset in 2022. Prior to his media career, he served as Israel's ambassador to Mauritania from 2004 to 2008 and worked as a foreign correspondent for Yediot Ahronot, reporting from Paris and interviewing figures like Bashar al-Assad and Muammar Gaddafi.