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🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Deri Says IDF Sees Haredi Soldiers as a ‘Very Big Headache’

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Shas leader Arye Deri said the IDF does not want haredi soldiers and prefers a secular army, calling ultra-Orthodox enlistment a major problem for the military.
  • Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Deri of making excuses and said he should not serve in another Israeli government.
  • Bennett also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading false accusations against IDF commanders over the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Shas chairman Arye Deri said the IDF does not want haredi soldiers and prefers a secular army, arguing that ultra-Orthodox enlistment creates “a very big headache” for the military.

The army doesn't want haredi soldiers, get that into your head.

· Arye DeriThe Shas chairman described the IDF’s position on ultra-Orthodox enlistment during a podcast interview.

Deri made the remarks during a podcast interview on Thursday. “The army doesn't want haredi soldiers, get that into your head,” he said. He added that he did not need to urge haredim to enlist and would “let the army deal with it.”

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded later that day, accusing Deri of harming IDF soldiers. “Aryeh Deri cannot sit in one more government in Israel,” Bennett said. “The IDF is desperate for soldiers, and Deri is lying and making excuses.”

Aryeh Deri cannot sit in one more government in Israel.

· Naftali BennettBennett called for Deri to be excluded from any future Israeli government.

Bennett added that people who do not participate in defending Israel should not decide its security matters. He also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “spreading blood libels about IDF commanders,” referring to Netanyahu’s earlier claim that commanders had avoided waking him during the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The IDF is desperate for soldiers, and Deri is lying and making excuses.

· Naftali BennettBennett criticized Deri’s explanation of the military’s position on haredi recruits.

Netanyahu said the commanders feared that waking him would have led him to activate the air force and the wider IDF immediately. “If they had woken me, everything would have looked different,” he said.

If they had woken me, everything would have looked different.

· Benjamin NetanyahuNetanyahu discussed the decision not to wake him during the October 7 Hamas attacks.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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