From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Shas accuses attorney general of election interference over arrests of Haredi draft dodgers
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.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party accuses Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of interfering in next week’s election by instructing authorities to arrest Haredi draft dodgers.
In a statement condemning this morning’s arrest of more than 40 Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva students at Ben Gurion Airport for evading mandatory military service, Shas alleges that the attorney general is engaging in “blatant and unprecedented political interference in the election campaign” by ordering “violent arrests of yeshiva students.”
The party also claims that the arrests violate temporary legislation intended to prevent political interference during the election period.
Earlier this month, Baharav-Miara instructed the IDF to resume arresting draft evaders who have failed to comply with enlistment orders, after the military acknowledged that it had not been actively enforcing those orders against Haredi draft dodgers.
Shas says its faction chairman, MK Yinon Azoulay, is working under the instructions of party leader Aryeh Deri with senior IDF officials to secure the detainees’ immediate release.
The accusations echo those made earlier today by United Torah Judaism leader Yaakov Asher, who similarly alleged without evidence that the arrests were part of a politically motivated campaign to intimidate Haredi voters.
The detainees are legally required to enlist, and the IDF says it routinely enforces the Defense Service Law at border crossings, including Ben Gurion Airport.
The Times of Israel Community.