Shas MK Avraham Betzalel dismissed threats from United Torah Judaism (UTJ) to collapse the government if a bill largely exempting yeshiva students from military service is not quickly passed.
In an interview with Radio Kol Chai on Thursday, Betzalel signaled that Shas would not support UTJ’s time-bound demands regarding the draft legislation, saying that “there is no holy date for the conscription law.” However, he stressed the importance of passing the 2025 state budget before the March 31 deadline to avoid triggering automatic elections.
“If the budget is not passed by the end of March, there will be no government. I think that a budget and a conscription law should be passed, without tying them together,” Betzalel said.
His remarks came a day after UTJ chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf, speaking to Hamodia, issued an ultimatum: either delay the draft bill and hold elections in the summer, or pass it before the budget and allow the government to complete its term.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been under pressure from his Charedi allies to resolve the enlistment issue. While he has promised a swift resolution, the draft bill remains stalled in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein. Edelstein has maintained that he would only advance a “real conscription law” that significantly increases military enlistment.
Asked whether Shas would support delaying the draft bill until after the budget is passed, Betzalel suggested that his party does not view it as a postponement. “Even though it was agreed upon in the coalition agreements as the first thing, I believe that a law will be drafted in the near future,” he said.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri had previously warned Netanyahu in January that failure to resolve the yeshiva student draft issue within two months would lead to elections. However, a day later, a party spokesperson backtracked, stating that Shas would “not topple the right-wing government” and denying any ultimatum.
Despite the party’s official stance, some Shas members have voiced differing opinions. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel recently broke with party leadership, publicly calling on Charedim to serve in the IDF. Speaking at a conference hosted by Israel National News, Arbel asserted that it was “possible and necessary” for Charedim to serve while maintaining their standards.
This is not Arbel’s first deviation from the party line. In April, he argued that there was no longer a “moral justification” for exempting Charedi men from service unless they were engaged in full-time limud Torah. Similarly, Shas Minister Ya’akov Margi said in February 2024 that Charedim not fully dedicated to yeshiva learning should be drafted “by force.”
While Shas’s stance has wavered, UTJ has taken a hardline position. Jerusalem Affairs Minister Meir Porush warned that enforcing military service among Charedi men could lead to an existential crisis for them.
In an audio recording aired by Kol Chai, Porush expressed fears that the government might resort to arresting draft dodgers. “If we reach a point where, chas v’shalom, they want to arrest young men who are sitting and studying, removing them from their homes, removing them from the yeshivas, it could develop into a real struggle for our existence here in Israel,” he cautioned.
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4 Responses
Why serve in an army led by secular leftist elite. They tie the hands of soldiers. They can’t shoot a terrorists unless they first shoot warning shots. So many have gotten killed simply because they are sent into room to room fighting. The leftist are more concerned with Gaza civilians than their own soldiers. Today there are Israeli religious soldiers in prison for mistreating Arab murdering terrorists. Instead of giving the Arab murderers the death penalty they released thousands of serious murdering terrorists. Instead they want to lock up Chareidim in their place. The hate that these leftist leaders have for religious Jews is worse than what they have for Arabs. It’s sickening. This war could have been over in a month and no Israeli soldiers dead. Stoped all food,water,fuel,medicine,internet connection, media outlets and electricity into Gaza. And starve the population which would lead to gazan civilians looting the Hamas terrorists. You bomb from the air every standing structure and with no building above ground no one can really live there. No shipment of tents either. By stopping fuel shipments there would be no air to survive or hide in tunnels. Now Trump told Israel to do what you want. Had they stopped supplies the Hamas would be overrun by gazans. They would release every hostage just for food. Thirty per cent of secular Israelis also stopped going to the army as they see the political fakes in charge of the army. And a Supreme Court siding mostly with Arab terrorists and hatred of religious Jews,why would any normal religious Jew join such an army. The army is more of an indoctrination center that seeks to created a woke society
Arbel & Margi not just deviated from official party policy, but are going against their own Sfardi Gedolim Shlita. MK’s who do not adhere to the directive of their Gedolim, must be expelled from the party.
The “frilumer” never cease to shoot themselves in the leg. If this government is toppled, they’d have zero place in the next government! It would be such a dumb move!
חכם עיניו בראשו
If the left wing parties were too offer to let Chareidim have the same status as Palestinian Arabs (full citizenship if they support the medinah and serve in the IDF, otherwise being left alone and marginalized politically), it would get interesting. Up to now, the left wing (socialists) are just as anti-Torah as the right wing anti-religious.