In a column in Israel Hayom, journalist Amit Segal (N12) writes that Housing Minister MK Yitzhak Goldknopf is deliberately orchestrating road blockades — including on Highway 1 near Prison 10 — to keep the Haredi draft issue on the agenda and damage Prime Minister Netanyahu politically ahead of elections. Segal asserts Goldknopf is aware of the electoral consequences and is willing to block Tel Aviv streets and confront reserve soldiers to achieve this.
In a column published Thursday evening in Israel Hayom, veteran journalist Amit Segal (N12) offered a sharp political analysis of the ongoing Gur Hasidic protests against the arrest of draft evaders. Segal writes that Housing Minister MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, the leader of the Gur Hasidic community, is deliberately using the protests to keep the Haredi conscription issue on the public agenda and damage Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu politically ahead of the upcoming elections.
Segal describes Goldknopf as 'summoning himself on hot summer nights opposite the walls of Prison 10 and blocking Highway 1 with his government vehicle,' adding that the minister is 'well aware of the consequences this will have on the elections.' The columnist asserts that Goldknopf's goal is to harm Netanyahu, and that he is willing to block streets in Tel Aviv and confront reserve soldiers walking their dogs to achieve this.
As The Zioneer has reported, Goldknopf has been a central figure in the protests: he led a convoy on Highway 1 with his vehicle's flashers activated on June 24, and joined demonstrators near the Beit Lid base (Prison 10) on June 17. A masked youth was also recorded trying to break into Goldknopf's car in Jerusalem on June 16. Segal's column represents a notable on-record political assessment from a well-connected journalist, framing the protests as a calculated political strategy rather than a spontaneous community response.
- DevelopingMinister Goldknopf joins Gur Hasidic protest near Beit Lid, police block Route 57
- DevelopingBennett accuses Goldknopf of leading violent rioters at Prison 10
- DevelopingMK Goldknopf: Government is arresting draft evaders 'who have done no wrong'
- DevelopingAmit Segal: Netanyahu's push for a broad government aims at fence-sitting voters
Source and signal
- Internal intake