Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett slammed MK Aryeh Deri, head of the Sephardi haredi (ultra-Orthodox) party Shas, for his comments on haredi conscription, causing the Shas Party to respond severely in return and deny claims that Deri encourages draft dodging, calling them “false accusations,” on Monday.
Shas left the government but not the coalition in mid-July because of the fallout over the haredi draft law proposal. Tensions remain high throughout the country on the issue of haredi conscription to the IDF.
“God forbid that one person here will have the thought [to draft]” at the time when Israel is in a situation of war, Deri was filmed saying in front of yeshiva students in a video shared by Bennett.
Bennett’s response came as he spoke to a group of reservists, saying that Deri “sees the ultra-Orthodox youth wanting to help” and says to them “Don’t be tempted to help your brothers in the armored corps who got burned, [...]don’t be tempted to help bereaved families who lost sons in this war, don’t be tempted to act to release the hostages.”
Bennett continued, “How is this person in the war cabinet? How does this government dare? This disgraceful government dares to send us [to serve] and give us orders. It’s like a knife in the heart to hear this.”
Deri has been continuing to attend security cabinet meetings, despite his party’s departure from the government.
Shas slammed Bennett in return on Sunday, calling him “a fraud from Ra’anana” who dares to speak with “audacity and arrogance.”
“Bennett is the one who stuck a knife in the heart – taking right-wing votes and giving them to the Left,” the Shas statement continued.
“Bennett, take your shoes off your feet when you dare to speak about Shas chairman Rabbi Arye Deri, who has been sitting on the political-security cabinet for over 30 years and works day and night for Israel’s security, thereby saving thousands of soldiers and civilians,” the party added.
On Monday, Shas released an additional statement, saying that any claims of Deri encouraging draft dodging were “false accusations.”
“To all those spreading the lie that Rabbi Aryeh Deri encouraged draft dodging – this is a false accusation!” the statement said.
“Rabbi Deri has never called for draft dodging or refusal of service. He delivered words of encouragement to students in a small yeshiva in Jerusalem, ages 15 to 16, emphasizing that Torah study is the foundation of the spiritual and security existence of the people of Israel,” Shas added.
Haredi draft law issue
The Shas Party had given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until the beginning of the Knesset winter session on October 19 to find a solution to the haredi IDF draft issue.
The second haredi party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), had quit both the government and the coalition earlier in July, before the Shas party did.
MK Meir Porush of UTJ protested haredi conscription throughout Monday at a booth outside the Justice Ministry.
On Thursday, Porush also conducted a similar protest, demonstrating against the arrest of the two yeshiva students last week for draft dodging.
The arrest of the two students triggered mass haredi protests throughout central Israel and Jerusalem and led the UTJ-affiliated newspaper Yated Ne’eman to declare “war” against the government.
The first meeting to discuss the new conscription law, to begin to determine which direction the bill will take, is scheduled for Tuesday at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud) has taken over the position of Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman after the former chair, MK Yuli Edelstein, was ousted from the role.
Edelstein had been leading the bill that would enforce haredi conscription before it fell through in July, as it received wide objection from the ultra-Orthodox community, along with Shas and UTJ.
Bismuth said that he would be attending the upcoming committee meeting “with a genuine commitment to cooperation and national responsibility. I also expect my colleagues from both the coalition and the opposition to rise to the occasion,” he remarked on Saturday.
“We will walk a new path,” Bismuth added, further reflecting his previous sentiments calling to head in a new direction with the bill, seeking what he referred to as a “historic solution” to the haredi draft issue.