Haredi parties boycott Knesset over delayed military exemption bill

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
7 Jul 2025 20:47

Shas and United Torah Judaism escalate their protest by boycotting the Knesset, demanding a law exempting yeshiva students from military service.

Listen

Argentina's President Javier Milei, seated back left, is welcomed by lawmakers in the Knesset, "Israel's" parliament, in occupied al-Quds, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP)

The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties announced a boycott of Monday’s Knesset plenum session in protest of the absence of legislation granting military service exemptions for yeshiva students, according to Israeli media.

This full boycott marks an escalation from their previous partial legislative protest, during which they refused to vote on private members' bills advanced by coalition partners.

Senior UTJ officials told Israel Hayom that Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein “is not providing a draft [of the bill],” which they interpret as a retreat from previous agreements. “The ultra-Orthodox parties will not be able to sit and vote with a coalition that supports such a law,” they said.

Edelstein reportedly showed a Haredi representative a softened version of the conscription bill, but only in the form of a general outline, not a full draft, according to "Israel's" Channel 12.

A senior UTJ source told The Times of Israel that Edelstein’s presentation was "nonsense", adding that they were still waiting for a serious legislative proposal.

A member of Edelstein’s committee told The Times of Israel that a draft of the revised bill was expected to be presented on Monday, though no official confirmation had been issued.

The ongoing boycott may delay the appointment of UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler as housing minister, reflecting the potential political cost of the internal coalition rift.

Deri, Lapid clash over exemption dispute

In a related context, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri criticized opposition Leader Yair Lapid for comments accusing the Haredi leadership of hypocrisy.

Lapid had claimed that Haredi politicians were willing to send others’ children to fight while ensuring their own were exempt from service.

During his Yesh Atid faction’s weekly meeting, Lapid condemned the exemption push, naming Deri and committee member Yaakov Asher (UTJ), saying they “have no problem sending [reserve] soldiers to go fight and die on one condition: that their own children not die.”

Deri responded with a sharp rebuttal, claiming that “the percentage of soldiers who serve and risk their lives among Shas voters is higher than among your party’s voters.”

He accused Lapid of inciting against an entire community, calling his remarks “serious and false incitement.”

He called on Lapid to retract what he described as an “inflammatory slur”.

This standoff highlights the broader political friction over the contentious issue of yeshiva student conscription, which continues to threaten coalition unity.