United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf said Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reported admission that the temporary 'arrest law' failed confirms the premier never intended to regulate the status of yeshiva students or advance a conscription law, justifying his party's decision to leave the coalition. Goldknopf called the law 'another spin that was never meant to solve anything,' and said UTJ will join the next government only with a coalition partner that provides a status arrangement for Torah learners, according to a statement from the party leader.
United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf on Sunday responded to a report by Amit Segal (N12) that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted the temporary 'arrest law' failed, saying the admission confirms the premier never intended to regulate the status of yeshiva students or advance a conscription law. Goldknopf called the law 'another spin that was never meant to solve anything,' and said this justifies UTJ's decision to leave the coalition, according to a statement from the party leader.
The prime minister's reported admission — first reported by multiple Israeli outlets at 13:25 Jerusalem — marks a sharp shift in rhetoric. Netanyahu told a closed-door discussion that the arrest law 'did not achieve its goals,' and warned that those who do not study Torah will either enlist or face imprisonment. As The Zioneer reported earlier Sunday, the prime minister also said he aims to form a broad national unity government after the elections to pass a full conscription law.
Goldknopf's statement builds on his party's longstanding position. On July 29, Goldknopf said UTJ would join the next government only with a coalition partner that provides a status arrangement for Torah learners 'without sanctions or targets,' as The Zioneer reported. In June, he protested the arrest of Haredi draft evaders, saying the government was arresting people 'who have done no wrong.' The arrest law, which granted immunity from arrest to yeshiva students evading conscription, was frozen by the High Court and was a central point of contention in the coalition crisis that led to UTJ's departure.
The conscription law's future remains unresolved. Netanyahu's commitment to a full conscription law after the elections will depend on the coalition makeup. Goldknopf reiterated that UTJ will only join a government that guarantees a status arrangement for Torah learners, setting the stage for a political battle after the elections.
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