In an interview broadcast Tuesday evening, Shabbatai Katesh — expected to become the first Haredi MK from the Likud after Dan Illouz's resignation — stated that Haredim who do not study Torah have no place outside the IDF and must enlist. He stressed that a Haredi soldier must be able to leave military service while remaining Haredi.
Shabbatai Katesh, the Chabad-affiliated figure set to become the first Haredi MK from the Likud, delivered his first substantive political statement on Tuesday evening, calling for Haredim who do not study Torah to enlist in the IDF while preserving their religious identity. The interview on the program "תא הכתבים" follows a day of political developments: earlier Tuesday at 08:40 Jerusalem, MK Dan Illouz formally submitted his resignation to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, paving the way for Katesh to enter the Knesset under the Likud rotation list.
The Zioneer reported throughout the morning that Illouz's resignation was confirmed by multiple sources, including N12's Daphna Liel. Illouz left the Likud after breaking coalition discipline in July 2026 by voting against the first reading of the Basic Law: Torah Study, and subsequently joined Yisrael Beiteinu, as The Zioneer reported on August 5.
The conscription debate remains a central issue. As The Zioneer has previously reported, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on August 2 that those not studying Torah will 'enlist or go to prison,' and Defense Minister Katz instructed the IDF on June 29 to formulate a new 'Chabad Arrangement' for Haredi conscription. Katesh, a Haredi figure from Chabad, articulated a position that aligns with the Likud leadership's stance on the issue.
It remains to be seen how Katesh's entry will impact the coalition dynamics and whether his call for service will be embraced by the broader Haredi public, given the opposition from some rabbinical leaders to military service for yeshiva students.
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