Israel cannot afford Netanyahu’s capitulation to haredi demands

Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties are intensifying pressure on the government, exploiting the upcoming elections to secure concessions, particularly concerning military service exemptions for Haredi men. The parties have threatened boycotts and pushed for legislation that would shield draft evaders from arrest, even as the IDF faces a severe manpower crisis.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has called for advancing a proposal to temporarily halt arrests of Haredi draft evaders. This move coincides with the Knesset's push to enshrine Torah study in a Basic Law, a demand from the Haredi parties. The proposed bill to freeze arrests would suspend all enforcement proceedings for draft evasion for 90 days from its commencement date.

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Young haredi men want to enlist. But when arrests are carried out in places of Torah study, it produces the opposite result.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared to align with the Haredi parties' position. In a recent press conference, he echoed claims made by United Torah Judaism (UTJ) head Yitzhak Goldknopf, stating that arrests in yeshivas deter young Haredi men from enlisting. Netanyahu suggested that such actions produce the opposite of the desired effect, though reports of such arrest operations are scarce. Rabbi Yonatan Reiss, founder of the Hedvata network, suggested Netanyahu's remarks mirrored Goldknopf's message rather than reflecting the views of those who advocate for enlistment.

The Haredi parties' tactics, including UTJ's announced boycott of coalition votes, aim to pressure Netanyahu's coalition into accepting their demands. This strategy unfolds against a backdrop of warnings from the IDF about critical manpower shortages.

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I assume the prime minister received his message from Goldknopf. We delivered a completely different message, the same