Netanyahu backtracks on draft exemption law after polling damage

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has abruptly reversed course on a controversial law that would have exempted ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military service, blaming poor polling numbers for the U-turn. The proposed legislation, which would have allowed those unwilling to study Torah to either enlist or face imprisonment, was exposed by the Ynet news outlet as part of a government coalition deal. Netanyahu now insists such a law will not pass in any future government he leads, attempting to distance himself from the politically damaging arrangement.

The about-face has sparked internal criticism within Netanyahu’s Likud party, with senior officials accusing the prime minister of flip-flopping on a matter of principle. One Likud figure described the pro-conscription campaign messaging as “an insult to intelligence,” highlighting the party’s frustration at being left to defend a position their leader now claims to oppose. The reversal represents a significant political embarrassment, coming just weeks after the deal was announced as a cornerstone of the current coalition agreement.

Opposition leaders have seized on Netanyahu’s apparent capitulation. Yoaz Hendel, a former government minister, characterised it as typical of Netanyahu’s pattern of evading responsibility, sarcastically referring to him as the “prime minister of draft-dodging.” Meanwhile, Naftali Bennett, the far-right National Security Minister, took aim at the ultra-Orthodox community’s draft status, asserting that exemptions undermine military effectiveness and harm soldiers in the field.

The controversy reflects deep divisions within Israeli society over military service obligations. Ultra-Orthodox communities have historically been exempt from conscription under arrangements dating back to Israel’s founding, though successive governments have attempted to reform the system. The failed legislative attempt demonstrates the acute sensitivity surrounding this issue, with both coalition stability and public opinion weighing heavily on the government’s political calculations.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.