Gantz tries to dispel claims his centrist party willing to compromise with Haredi parties on conscription

By Sam Sokol 9 June 2025, 4:04 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"

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz pushes back hard against criticism that his centrist party may be willing to compromise on the ultra-Orthodox enlistment issue in order to broker better ties with the Haredi parties.

During his time in the coalition, Gantz and his party pushed for an outline of legislation that would bring the Haredim into the military and impose individual sanctions on those who do not serve.

“Where are the MKs of the party that claims to represent Religious Zionism? I am saying it clearly, we will support both today and in the future only an outline [of legislation] that will promote service for all, bring soldiers to the IDF and maintain Israel’s security,” he tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

“It doesn’t matter if we are in the coalition or in the opposition. This is a fundamental act that is above all political considerations. We will not sell values and security for seats, as is unfortunately the practice in the Likud and Religious Zionism parties.”

Last week, Gantz met with Motti Babchik, a senior adviser to Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, the head of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party — whose party is threatening to bring down the government because it has failed to pass legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service.

Addressing his own Yisrael Beytenu party’s faction meeting on Monday, Avigdor Liberman, without naming Gantz, slammed “some of my friends in the opposition who are already building a bypass road for the Haredim and promising all sorts of things.”