Haredi MK panned for seeming to liken detained draft dodgers to Gaza hostages

A top ultra-Orthodox lawmaker appeared to draw a comparison between the hostages held by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza and detained Haredi draft dodgers on Sunday evening, in a letter welcoming US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.

Expressing his wish for the hostages to be speedily returned to Israel over the upcoming weeklong Sukkot holiday, which starts on Monday evening, United Torah Judaism party leader Yitzhak Goldknopf wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the government is responsible for ensuring that any Palestinian terrorists released as part of the deal “never pose a threat to the State of Israel at any stage or in any way.”

Juxtaposing the issue of the hostages with that of IDF conscription, Goldknopf then urged the premier to also work to “immediately” free draft dodgers arrested “for the crime of studying Torah” so that they can also celebrate the upcoming holiday with their families.

Last week, the IDF approved the early release of a number of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers in order to allow them to mark the Yom Kippur fast at home. It was the second such early release over a period of two weeks, with another group having been sent home ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

For decades, ultra-Orthodox men enjoyed widespread exemptions from military service so long as they studied full-time in yeshiva — until the High Court of Justice ruled last year that this system was illegal. Some 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.

The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits, citing the strain of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, and recent efforts at enforcement have led the military to detain dozens of Haredi draft dodgers, sparking protests and calls to “free the hostages” from military prison.

Since last year’s court ruling, both United Torah Judaism and fellow Haredi party Shas have demanded the passage of legislation reestablishing the canceled exemptions. Goldknopf quit the cabinet in June over the government’s failure to pass such a bill, with his party as a whole leaving the coalition the following month.

Secular and religious Zionist politicians were quick to condemn Goldknopf for his apparent comparison of the hostages to draft dodgers, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett tweeting that his rhetoric was “simply shameful.”

“My problem is with parties that call themselves ‘Zionist’ yet provide backing for the disgrace of draft evasion only out of political and personal interests,” Bennett wrote, taking aim at the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which relies on the ultra-Orthodox parties to stay in power.

“Goldknopf and this whole crew have lost their minds,” posted Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. “The hostages are dying, he and his Haredi deserters are a bunch of spoiled brats who think for whatever reason that they have the right to dodge the draft while the IDF fights to protect their cushy lives, which are supported by public funds.”

Yesh Atid MK Debbie Biton called Goldknopf’s comparison a “moral disgrace,” while The Democrats MK Efrat Rayten declared that she was “praying that he be forgiven for all his sins.”

Goldknopf has a history of making controversial remarks regarding Haredim and conscription.

In an interview with the religious Zionist Makor Rishon newspaper in July, Goldknopf declared that Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews may be forced to leave the country en masse if authorities start arresting yeshiva students who refuse to report for mandatory military service.

Asked about others having to pay a price for the refusal of ultra-Orthodox Israelis to serve, including religious people losing their lives or others who are unable to observe Jewish customs due to manpower shortages, Goldknopf responded that the matter was not his nor his community’s concern.

“Don’t bring me your pains and pass them on to me. Let’s decide that everybody has their own burden,” he said, sparking criticism even from within his own party.

In March, Goldknopf caused a political uproar after a video emerged of him dancing to an anti-Zionist, anti-enlistment song at his nephew’s wedding.

In a widely distributed clip, Goldknopf could be seen in the middle of a circle of young Haredi men singing that they “don’t believe in the government of infidels” and “won’t show up at their [army] recruitment offices.” The lyrics also included: “We will die and not enlist.”