Edelstein calls on MKs to ‘put political considerations aside’ and pass law for mass draft of Haredim

By Sam Sokol 3 February 2025, 2:01 pm

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Sam 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"

Yuli Edelstein leads a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 3, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In a Facebook post, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) calls on his fellow lawmakers to “put political considerations aside” and work to pass legislation that will enable mass conscription of ultra-Orthodox men to the IDF.

“We are at a historic and fateful time for the future of the State of Israel. We, the members of the Knesset, stand between a real draft law that I am leading, and a law of full-blown evasion,” he writes. “The IDF urgently needs combat troops, and our mission is to provide it with the conditions for their conscription. This is a testing time for us as leaders and legislators.”

“This is the time to put political considerations aside and unite around a correct and true bill that will recruit thousands and tens of thousands of Haredim to the IDF. We have no other choice but to do it right once and for all.”