MK Meirav Ben Ari Publicly Apologizes to MK Moshe Abutbul Over Military Service Remarks

A heated dispute between MK Meirav Ben Ari (Yesh Atid) and MK Moshe Abutbul (Shas) culminated in a public apology in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday evening. The controversy began earlier that day when Abutbul was interviewed on Reshet Bet radio about the issue of ultra-Orthodox military conscription. Following his interview, Ben Ari commented on his statements, accusing him of evading military service and questioning his knowledge of the matter, saying, "The man is a draft dodger, he did not serve in the army, and how does he even know what is going on?"

Abutbul immediately refuted the claim during the broadcast, providing his ID number from the Israel Defense Forces (3619778) to prove that he had served. He later condemned Ben Ari's remarks as defamatory and stated, "Even when there is no response, one must not lie. This is a slander worthy of a libel suit."

The dispute continued throughout the day until Ben Ari took the floor in the Knesset plenum to issue a personal and public apology to Abutbul, stating, "When I am wrong, I apologize. I also apologized to MK Abutbul personally, and he accepted my apology." This apology effectively ended the public confrontation. The incident occurred on the same day the Knesset approved in its first reading the Basic Law on Torah Study, with a vote of 63 in favor and 53 against.