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Recordings of Senior Haredi Rabbis Cast Israel Draft Bill as a Stalling Tactic

The broadcast prompted demands to toughen the proposal, highlighting doubts about whether enlistment targets can be met.

Overview

  • Channel 12 aired audio on January 21 in which leading haredi rabbis describe the proposed conscription law as a way to buy time rather than bring yeshiva students into the IDF.
  • Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch is heard saying the legislation would “buy time,” predicting the law would collapse after a few years and rejecting the idea of meeting enlistment targets.
  • Rabbi Dov Lando states there is no intention for haredim to serve, declaring, “We will not go to the army; no one will go to the army.”
  • Opposition leader Yair Lapid and Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman say the recordings prove the law is a “bluff” that will not lead to haredi enlistment.
  • Likud MK Dan Illouz urges coalition partners to amend the bill, and the National Religious Reservists Forum says the tapes show leaders do not plan to meet recruitment goals.