Prime Minister Netanyahu said Saturday evening that sending Haredi men to prison over draft evasion distances that community from the IDF, and suggested a temporary pause in enforcement to reach broad agreements on enlistment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday evening that arrests and imprisonment of Haredi men who refuse to serve in the IDF are counterproductive, arguing that such enforcement drives the community further away from military service. He proposed a temporary freeze in enforcement to facilitate broad political agreements on Haredi enlistment.
Netanyahu's remarks, reported via Telegram, come amid ongoing controversy over the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men, a politically sensitive issue that has divided the coalition and drawn criticism from military and judicial officials. No specific timeline for such a pause was provided, and the prime minister did not clarify whether the proposal reflects a government policy shift.
The issue has seen recent enforcement actions, including arrests of draft-dodging Haredi men, which Netanyahu now appears to question as a method. The prime minister's call for a pause is likely to face opposition from secular and nationalist coalition partners who demand equal enlistment obligations.
2 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu advances initiative to freeze arrests of Haredi draft evaders
- DevelopingM.K. Porush urges PM to stop arresting Haredi draft evaders, citing lack of prison space
- StrongHaredi yeshiva heads warn coalition: arrest campaign is tearing the system apart
- DevelopingNetanyahu and Haredi parties agree: freeze on draft-evader arrests in exchange for commission of inquiry
Source and signal
- Internal intake