Netanyahu to ultra-Orthodox soldiers: ‘Anyone who does not study Torah must enlist’

During a visit to the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade in the Jordan Valley, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells soldiers that “anyone who does not study Torah must enlist,” signaling support for drafting Haredi men who are not engaged in full-time yeshiva study.

“When he enlists, he must be given the right to enter as Haredi and leave as Haredi,” Netanyahu adds, reiterating calls to ensure ultra-Orthodox recruits are able to preserve their religious lifestyle throughout their service.

“You are the pioneers, and others are following you,” Netanyahu tells the soldiers. “I see the major increase in enlistment and in this desire to defend the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu is accompanied by MK Boaz Bismuth, chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who has been spearheading efforts to advance a controversial Haredi conscription exemption bill. The latest version of the legislation was rejected this week by the Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox parties.

The legislation – which would ostensibly increase military conscription in the Haredi community, but ultimately enable continued exemptions for full-time yeshiva students – is widely seen as legally dubious and laden with loopholes.

“Our two greatest values are the Torah that brought us here and the IDF that protects us,” Bismuth tells the Hasmonean Brigade. “At this base, the two come together – Torah with uniforms.”