Committee chair Boaz Bismut released the full text of his attack on Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, accusing the IDF of sending its letter opposing the arrest-freeze bill only after the Knesset committee had voted. Bismut noted that the IDF had the draft for three weeks and participated in all discussions, but could not provide a single example of an arrest that resulted in enlistment. The timing, he said, is 'hard to see as a coincidence.'
MK Boaz Bismut (Likud), chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, on Monday evening released the full text of his attack on Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, accusing the IDF of sending its letter opposing the arrest-freeze bill only after the committee had completed its votes. In the letter, Bismut stated that the IDF could not provide a single case where an arrest of a Torah learner led to enlistment, and questioned why the letter was sent at the last moment despite the IDF having the draft for three weeks and participating in all discussions. The timing, he said, 'is hard to see as a coincidence.'
At 17:58 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Bismut had sent a sharp letter to Zamir criticizing the delayed response, and earlier at 16:17 Jerusalem, the Knesset legal adviser was reported to have expressed anger at the chief of staff for bypassing the committee and sending the letter directly to the media after the committee's work concluded. The committee had voted on the bill earlier Monday, and the IDF's letter arrived after the vote.
The dispute is part of a broader political confrontation over the bill, which would freeze criminal proceedings and arrests against yeshiva students who evade military service. As The Zioneer reported on Sunday, the bill was approved for second and third readings, and the legal adviser's criticism of the chief of staff reflects ongoing tensions between the military and the Knesset over the legislation.
The bill is expected to face its final Knesset readings, with the outcome still uncertain.
4 developments
- DevelopingYeshiva Student: Arrest-Freeze Bill Gives Me a Path to Volunteer for IDF
- DevelopingIDF personnel chief opposes bill freezing arrests of yeshiva draft evaders
- DevelopingBismuth: Legal advisors' opposition to yeshiva arrest freeze is political interference
- DevelopingIDF chief calls bill freezing Haredi enlistment 'inconceivable'
Source and signal
- Internal intake