From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 12, 2026
Liberman says Haredi extremists who disrupted IDF event ‘must be treated like terrorists’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman says that the extremist Haredi protestors who violently disrupted an IDF conference last night in Bnei Brak for the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade should be treated like terrorists.
“How can it be that in the State of Israel, a soldier in uniform cannot set foot in Bnei Brak or Mea Shearim without being attacked?” he says, speaking at a press conference before a faction meeting at the Knesset.
“One can only imagine what would have happened if soldiers had been attacked in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank.] It would have been treated as a terrorist act — and that is how those who attacked yesterday must be treated. They must be treated like terrorists,” Liberman adds.
Liberman says that not a single ultra-Orthodox lawmaker or rabbi condemned the attack.
Months of Haredi protests against military conscription have escalated in recent weeks, as the coalition faces heavy pressure to pass legislation regulating the issue, while the IDF continues to arrest ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers.
“This is not the fringe — this is the mainstream of the ultra-Orthodox leadership,” he says, adding that the Haredi Shas and United Torah Judaism parties must be “kept out” of the coalition.
“If we do not do this, the state will not endure — quite literally,” Liberman says.
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