From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Lapid accuses PM of ‘running away’ after scrapping Haredi draft address
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid releases a scathing video statement pillorying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for cancelling a scheduled primetime address on his government’s proposed bill to regulate ultra-Orthodox conscription, accusing the premier of hiding from the public because he knows there is no justification for his policy.
“Netanyahu canceled his statement this evening because he knows the truth. Bibi ran away because he knows that we know the details of the draft evasion law, and he has no way to defend it,” Lapid declares, arguing that “not even five percent” of Haredim will enlist under the bill.
According to Lapid, the controversial legislation “is full of loopholes that were intentionally inserted into it” and lacks enlistment quotas, sanctions and enforcement mechanisms and instead constitutes “yet another betrayal of our soldiers.”
“Control is not in the hands of the IDF, but in the hands of Deri and Goldknopf,” he asserts, naming the leaders of the Knesset’s two ultra-Orthodox parties, Aryeh Deri and Yitzhak Goldknopf. “When choosing between the soldiers and the draft dodgers, Netanyahu chose the draft dodgers and betrayed the soldiers.”
The “sole purpose” of the “full-on draft-dodging law” is to “renew the flow of money to the yeshivas,” allocating billions of shekels annually to evaders and “disgracing our soldiers,” Lapid continues.
“Netanyahu’s escape tonight is a clear message to all coalition members: you cannot defend this law, and this law will not pass. I promise we will stop it.”
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