From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 23, 2025
MK Bismuth says IDF not completing formalities that would allow draft of ultra-Orthodox youth
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"
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth demands that the IDF present a timetable for the approval of a General Staff order formalizing arrangements facilitating service conditions for ultra-Orthodox servicemen.
In a tweet, the Likud lawmaker, whose panel is expected to soon resume deliberations on a bill regulating Haredi conscription, says that he wrote to IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa this month complaining that the decision to approve such an order has not been implemented “despite repeated declarations of progress.”
“Now, ahead of the continuation of discussions on the enlistment law, I have again demanded answers. I am determined to complete the regulation of the issue, but continuing the process requires the approval of the General Staff Order, a central and essential component for advancing the law, strengthening trust, and creating an infrastructure that will enable the formulation of a real solution,” Bismuth declares.
In his letter, dated November 10, Bismuth insisted that a “clear and binding” General Staff order constitutes “a basic condition for the army’s ability to manage the issue in a professional, transparent and coordinated manner.”
Such an order would address concerns expressed by some Haredi leaders, such as Rabbi Moshe Maya, a member of the Shas party’s ruling Council of Torah Sages, who told Radio Kol Hai in August that any arrangements facilitating Haredi enlistment must be anchored in such an order or they would be “worthless.”
Addressing the Knesset State Control Committee the following month, Bar Kalifa told lawmakers that the military was “committed to creating a General Staff order and an adviser on Haredi affairs — and the chief of staff has already approved it.”
Beyond the order, the IDF already has systems in place to facilitate the Haredi draft and it already operates several special units and an battalion for ultra-Orthodox troops.
The ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah party last week stated that it supports Bismuth’s latest draft of the controversial legislation, which critics allege would allow mass evasion by members of the Haredi community. While fellow ultra-Orthodox faction Agudat Yisrael opposes the bill, a Shas party source told The Times of Israel that his party had “signaled a long time ago that it is in favor.”
This morning, the Ynet news site reported that the Haredi parties had been informed by the Prime Minister’s Office that the bill would again be placed on the agenda of Bismuth’s committee for further discussion next week.
However, senior sources connected to the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party told The Times of Israel that they were unaware of any such message.
The Times of Israel Community.