From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Netanyahu says draft dodger arrest freeze law failed, plans new law exempting yeshiva students from IDF — report
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"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told associates that he will not pursue further legislation seeking to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from arrest or sanctions for draft dodging should he form a new government after elections.
In comments from a closed-door meeting reported by the Ynet news site, Netanyahu says a controversial law passed by his coalition halting the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders did not pan out as hoped.
It “was intended to lower the level of the flames and increase the number of Haredi enlistees [but] in practice it did not work, and therefore there will be no such law in the next government,” Netanyahu is quoted saying.
Implementation of the law was quickly frozen by the High Court, with a decision pending on whether to strike it down entirely.
“After the elections, we will form a broad national government that will immediately pass a full draft law that will meet the needs of the IDF,” Netanyahu says, indicating that he will continue to pursue legislative changes that would allow full-time yeshiva students to receive exemptions from military service.
“Anyone who does not study Torah will enlist or go to prison,” he is quoted saying.
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently eligible for military service, but have ignored conscription orders, despite manpower shortages in the army and anger among the general population over an unequal sharing of the burden of defending the country.
The Times of Israel Community.