Ultra-Orthodox leader signals exodus as conscription dispute escalates in Israel’s government

Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of United Torah Judaism and a senior ultra-Orthodox politician, has warned that if a law mandating military conscription for Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) is passed, the community could leave Israel en masse.

Goldknopf declared: “If there is no choice and we are forced to leave the country, then we will. It will be a state without Haredim,” Caliber.Az quotes Goldknopf as saying per Israeli media.

The remarks follow renewed political debate surrounding the exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service, a deeply divisive issue in Israeli society, particularly in light of the ongoing war and military strain.

“The Haredim will not change their way of life because there is an army or a war,” Goldknopf insisted in a wide-ranging interview with the Makor Rishon newspaper.

Goldknopf, a staunch defender of yeshiva students' right to avoid conscription, strongly criticised the possibility of enforcing enlistment laws through arrests, warning it would “shock the people of Israel and the entire world.”

“I advise no one to arrest yeshiva students,” he said. “That would be breaking all conventions and crossing a red line.”

The MP challenged Israel’s security establishment to look elsewhere for soldiers: “If you're short 50,000 soldiers, take those dodging the draft in Tel Aviv. There are 100,000 draft evaders in the Gush Dan area,” he claimed – a statement for which no supporting data was provided.

Asked by the interviewer about the burden carried by others, including a 44-year-old father of five preparing for reserve duty until after the Jewish High Holidays, Goldknopf replied bluntly: “I don’t understand that pain. I didn’t decide he should go. If he thinks that’s his path, then he should go.”

Goldknopf also aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of failing to push through legislation to resolve the draft issue. “If he wanted to, he would’ve acted – as he has on other matters. He would’ve gathered everyone in a room and found a compromise,” he said.

“If Netanyahu wants our support next time, he’ll have to show action before forming a government. I can’t tell rabbis today that Netanyahu promises – who would believe it?”

When asked whether this signals the end of ultra-Orthodox political backing for Netanyahu, Goldknopf replied: “We’re committed to our community. Whoever delivers on what they need gets our support. Netanyahu, in this term, has only spoken – and spoken.”

Ultra-Orthodox men have long been exempt from military service under a decades-old arrangement prioritising full-time religious study. However, Israel’s Supreme Court recently struck down the existing exemption framework, reigniting tensions over the issue.

The controversy continues to stir resentment among secular and religious-Zionist Israelis who view the exemptions as unfair – particularly during wartime. Meanwhile, the Haredi community sees the push for conscription as a threat to its religious identity and autonomy.

By Aghakazim Guliyev