Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a closed-door discussion that a law freezing arrests of yeshiva draft evaders had failed to achieve its goal and would not be renewed in the next government. "Whoever does not study Torah will enlist, or go to prison," He said.
According to reports, Netanyahu explained the law was intended as a temporary measure to "lower the flames and increase the number of charedi recruits," But said it failed to meet its objectives.
The prime minister stated that after elections, "a broad national government will be established that will immediately pass a full enlistment law that meets the IDF's needs." He said the new legislation would replace the current arrangement following the arrest-freeze law's failure.
In July, the Supreme Court issued a conditional order freezing implementation of the law suspending arrests of yeshiva students who fail to report for military service. The judges ruled the law contradicted previous decisions on equal burden-sharing and positions of professional officials, who argued such measures encourage evasion of military service.
Netanyahu's remarks triggered political reaction Sunday. At a faction meeting, Degel HaTorah members chose to remain deliberately silent and refrained from issuing an official response. Party officials said privately that the move represented a flawed election strategy by Likud that had returned the charedi draft issue to public prominence.
United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf openly criticized Netanyahu, claiming the remarks confirmed his party's belief that the Prime Minister's Office never intended to resolve yeshiva students' status or pass meaningful draft legislation. He said this justified UTJ's decision to leave the government.