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Moshe Gafni

MK Moshe Gafni attends Finance committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, April 29, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
June 9, 2026, 10:37 pm
Finance Committee moves to restore daycare subsidies for ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers
New bill would only consider the employment status of a child’s mother, no longer examine the father’s eligibility for conscription; Finance, Justice ministries oppose legislation
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
MK Moshe Gafni attends a finance committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, April 29, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
May 27, 2026, 7:26 pm
Following draft evader arrests, Gafni calls on Haredim to halt cooperation with police
Degel HaTorah chair urges local representatives not to ‘become complicit in harming the holy Torah.’ MKs advance bill restoring daycare subsidies for the children of draft dodgers
By Sam Sokol
Left to right: Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Opposition Leader Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, speaks during a conference at Tel Aviv University, May 12, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90); Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 27, 2026, 5:16 pm
Opposition party leaders spar over potential inclusion of Haredim in future coalition
Democrats’ Golan slammed after undated clip showed him saying he would sit with ultra-Orthodox if it was the only way to oust Netanyahu-led Likud and far-right; Lapid and Bennett vow no compromise on draft exemptions
By Sam Sokol
Police clash with ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem, October 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
May 12, 2026, 8:52 am
Knesset passes law barring police from spraying ‘skunk’ liquid on protesters
Legislation requires only water be used in water cannon, all deployments of which must be recorded and made available if requested
By Charlie Summers and ToI Staff
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) in the Knesset on November 24, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/File)
May 6, 2026, 7:03 pm
PM said to ask Haredim to again shelve draft exemption bill — this time until after election
Senior ultra-Orthodox MK denies report while another suggests it’s true, claiming Netanyahu lied about ever having any intention to pass law exempting yeshiva students from IDF service
By Sam Sokol and Emanuel Fabian
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with army recruitment orders in the Mea She’arim neighborhood of Jerusalem, October 22, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
April 26, 2026, 6:35 pm
High Court orders government to impose financial sanctions on Haredi draft evaders
In unanimous decision, court says government has failed to implement previous rulings, calls police refusal to arrest ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers an ‘unacceptable mass violation of law’
By Jeremy Sharon
Police clash with Israelis during a protest against the current Israeli government and the ongoing war with Iran, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, April 4, 2026. (Flash90)
April 5, 2026, 2:22 am
Cops violently disperse protesters at Tel Aviv anti-war rally, after court raised attendance cap
Detained activists say police stopped them from reaching shelter amid missile attack; chief rabbi declares court ‘enemy of Judaism’ after permissive ruling is issued on Shabbat
By Charlie Summers and Sam Sokol
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri attends a vote on the 2026 state budget in the Knesset, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 30, 2026, 7:14 pm
Opposition MKs voted to allocate NIS 800 million for Haredi schools. How did that happen?
Caught by a parliamentary ‘maneuver,’ lawmakers mistakenly supported a surprise reservation to the 2026 state budget massively boosting ultra-Orthodox education funds, sparking a harsh backlash
By Sam Sokol and Ariela Karmel
Police use a water cannon to disperse ultra-Orthodox demonstrators during an anti-conscription demonstration in Jerusalem, May 23, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
January 22, 2026, 5:20 pm
Knesset approves first reading of bill banning use of ‘Skunk’ spray on protesters
Rights groups, medical experts and lawmakers pan firing of putrid liquid from water cannons on demonstrators; ex-police superintendent calls for tighter oversight but opposes ban
By Sam Sokol
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni attends a Knesset Finance Committee meeting on December 31, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
January 13, 2026, 4:29 pm
UTJ’s Gafni calls for government to ignore High Court rulings on Haredi draft law
MK joins coalition lawmakers calling for defiance of judiciary; Lapid warns disobeying court would expose IDF soldiers to international lawsuits
By Ariela Karmel
MK Moshe Gafni, left, with MK Aryeh Deri at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
December 30, 2025, 8:14 pm
Shas, Degel HaTorah trade barbs in fight for control of Jerusalem religious council
Haredi parties battle for control of capital’s religious bureaucracy, leading to boycotts of coalition legislation as form of leverage
By Sam Sokol
MK's Moshe Gafni and Ya'akov Asher attend a United Torah Judaism party meeting at the Knesset on July 10, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 17, 2025, 11:34 am
Security beefed up for 2 UTJ lawmakers over threats from Haredi extremists — report
Gafni and Asher receive second-highest level of protection after rioters targeted latter’s home, smashed Shas MK’s car window on Saturday night to protest conscription bill
By ToI Staff
Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich speaking at the Knesset plenum, Jerusalem, September 29, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90)
September 29, 2025, 10:38 pm
Knesset narrowly approves further NIS 30.8 billion in defense spending
Budget increase passes by 55 to 50, despite strong resistance from ultra-Orthodox UTJ factions, due to absence of opposition MKs
By Ariela Karmel
Illustrative: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers a question, as US President Donald Trump looks on, during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 7, 2025. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images via AFP)
September 28, 2025, 6:50 am
Far right, settlers urge Netanyahu to defy US and annex West Bank, not end Gaza war
Settler leaders stress decision is Netanyahu’s, not Trump’s, send delegation to US; Ben Gvir, Smotrich warn PM as US truce plan envisions pathway to Palestinian state
By Michael Bachner, Stav Levaton and Nava Freiberg
Lawmakers in the Knesset plenum, September 10, 2025. (Dani Shem-Tov/ Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)
September 11, 2025, 3:38 am
Knesset advances bill to increase defense budget, including for Gaza humanitarian aid
Measure aims to add NIS 31 billion ($9 billion) to the 2025 state budget, with the increase accompanied by an across-the-board cut to ministerial budgets
By Sam Sokol
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