United Torah Judaism leader Yitzchok Goldknopf issued a warning on Tuesday, threatening to leave the coalition if a bill exempting chareidi yeshiva students from military service is not passed before the 2025 state budget is brought up for approval. “Undoubtedly, the conscription law will pass before the government approves the budget… [but] if it doesn’t happen, we won’t be in the government,” said Goldknopf, who also serves as the housing minister, in an interview with the Makor Rishon newspaper. “We will not be in the government without a conscription law,” he stressed.

Goldknopf went on to clarify that, in contrast to many senior chareidi rabbinic figures and politicians, he would not object to drafting chareidi men who are not studying full-time in yeshiva. “Let them be drafted, it is none of our business,” he remarked. “Our law [that will be proposed] does not protect those who do not study Torah. I need the recruitment law to recruit the chareidim who do not study.”

The departure of United Torah Judaism from the coalition would not necessarily bring down the government, but it would leave it with a narrow majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. In addition, failure to pass the budget by March would force new elections. Goldknopf’s comments align with previous reports that he plans to oppose the 2025 budget in the cabinet unless a chareidi army exemption bill is passed soon.

On Monday, the Finance Ministry published a draft of the Economic Arrangements Law, which is a key part of the state budget, for public feedback before it is submitted to the cabinet.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has reportedly assured the chareidi community that his government intends to move forward with a bill that would grant broad exemptions to chareidi men from mandatory military service by the end of the month, according to Hebrew media reports. Earlier this year, the High Court of Justice ruled that the long-standing practice of exempting chareidi men from the draft was not legally justified. This ruling prompted the IDF to send draft orders to thousands of chareidi men, sparking protests and fierce resistance from both the religious and political leaders of the chareidi community. The bill aimed at addressing this issue is currently stalled in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which is chaired by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein. Edelstein has stated that the bill will only pass if there is a “broad consensus” among lawmakers. Speaking at a conference last week, Edelstein assured that any law passed by his committee would be a “good law” that would help provide additional manpower for the IDF, though it may not fully satisfy either side.

In his interview with Makor Rishon, Goldknopf responded to critics who argue that chareidi men should be drafted in order to distribute the military service burden more evenly throughout Israeli society. He emphasized that the nation needs both Torah scholars and soldiers. “Do you think that everyone [among the general population] who needs to enlist is enlisting?” he asked.

Goldknopf also highlighted the difficulties chareidi communities face due to cuts in yeshiva budgets and government subsidies for daycare. The High Court’s ruling earlier this year barred the state from funding chareidi yeshivas that cater to students who should be serving in the army, noting that the subsidies for these yeshivas depended on military exemptions that no longer apply.

Moreover, in August, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon informed Labor and Welfare Minister Yoav Ben Tzur that his ministry must discontinue daycare subsidies for the children of chareidi yeshiva students who were previously exempt from military service, effective by November 30.

Goldknopf also criticized those blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu for failures in security management prior to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. He argued that “it is a mistake that we blame Netanyahu for everything.” Additionally, he expressed his support for Netanyahu’s leadership in the face of ongoing criminal proceedings, stressing the importance of ensuring the prime minister is able to lead the country freely.

Goldknopf also stated that while he would “support any deal” aimed at securing the release of the 101 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, he noted that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “is not ready to sit down with [us] for any deal.” He further predicted that “unfortunately, the war continues,” and based on the information he had, Israel would soon engage in military action against both Hezbollah and Gaza. “I think there will also be a war with Iran,” he added. “The atmosphere is heating up. We need to show our enemies that a war with us is not worth it.”

In response to Goldknopf’s remarks, Yesh Atid MK Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu expressed strong opposition, stating that “there is no public information office in the world that can explain how, during the most difficult war in our history, the government is enacting a draft evasion law that will grant 70,000 young and healthy chareidim a blanket exemption from conscription.” Lahav-Hertzanu argued that this law not only violates the principle of equality but also jeopardizes Israel’s security. “The IDF needs thousands more fighters to defend the country’s borders. Where will they come from?” he asked.

{Matzav.com Israel}