From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
UTJ’s Gafni calls for government to ignore High Court rulings
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.
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni says the government should not obey High Court of Justice rulings amid ongoing efforts to pass a draft exemption law for yeshiva students.
Asked in an interview with Kol Barama radio whether the government should comply with a potential High Court ruling to strike down the draft-exemption law, should it pass, Gafni replies: “No. Don’t obey them.”
“[The justices] make decisions that, in my view, are against the law as I understand it, and this means that a different policy needs to be pursued. If I were in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s place, I would instruct ministers not to honor the rulings,” he declares.
Gafni, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox UTJ’s Degel Hatorah faction, further alleges that justices are trying to impose their views on the Knesset, particularly regarding the ultra-Orthodox population, but in other matters as well.
“Everything that is brought to the Knesset by the government — which represents the majority in the Knesset — they strike down,” Gafni asserts.
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