From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 16, 2026
Bennett accuses government of rewarding ultra-Orthodox violence
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett accuses the government of rewarding violence after Channel 12 reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is pushing a new draft of the bill exempting yeshiva students from military service by the end of the weekend in order to convince the Haredi parties to support the 2026 state budget in its final readings.
“Those who riot, profit. The government has surrendered to violence and has now announced a reward for the rioters who attacked our female soldiers yesterday: the evasion law is being accelerated,” declares Bennett.
“Netanyahu and the Haredi parties are selling out our soldiers and reservists to people who say ‘we will die and we will not enlist.’ This is bad for the people of Israel and it is bad for the Haredi public,” he continues, citing a common chant at anti-draft rallies. “We will soon replace them and return to running Israel.”
On Sunday afternoon, an ultra-Orthodox mob attacked two female soldiers in Bnei Brak, leading to clashes with police and hours of rioting on the streets of the Haredi city.
The Times of Israel Community.