On video: Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef: If they force us to go to the army, we will all go abroad/use according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law
It is difficult to say that the ultra-Orthodox politicians were surprised by the decision of the High Court of Justice. This week, when they sat in Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, they were dealing with exactly this question: How will it be possible to continue to budget for the ultra-orthodox educational institutions despite the expected decision until they regulate the legal status of the yeshiva students? It was clear to everyone that in the coming months there will be no budgets But Netanyahu tried to find out with them another question: What is the future of the coalition under his leadership? They tried to reassure them that everything would be fine, but Netanyahu knows that the event can get out of control very quickly. One instruction from the Rebbe or a senior rabbi is enough and his political loyalists will have no choice.
Yesterday's decision has no practical effect on the yeshiva or on the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox to the IDF. Anyone who thinks that cutting off budgets will lead to mass recruitment of ultra-Orthodox to the IDF does not know enough about the ultra-Orthodox world and the importance it sees in learning Torah. After the events of October 7, there were slight buds of change even in the ultra-orthodox spiritual leadership. Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the senior leaders of the Lithuanian stream, recently said that "those who do not learn - should enlist in the IDF". This is a significant statement. No ultra-Orthodox leader has said this before.
The ultra-orthodox are very frustrated. For them, recruitment was the main thing in the current government. Quite a few of them expressed this anger in talks with Netanyahu and Rival Levin in recent weeks: "If we had brought the recruitment before the legal reform and the budget, we would not have been at this event. It's your fault."
Last night's decision of the High Court only caused the ultra-Orthodox to retreat, to unite again against one enemy from their point of view: the High Court. Many people who were thinking of enlisting or sending their children to the army, even if they were single, realized that the story was probably not recruiting ultra-Orthodox. He is many other things: dismantling the right-wing government, ousting Netanyahu or harming Torah scholars. They are no longer willing to cooperate with this.
The ultra-Orthodox politicians should have announced a long time ago that they are waiving the budgets for yeshiva just to prove what they say and believe: it is not a matter of money, but our right to exist. They could finance this financial gap independently. The problem is that none of them have the necessary courage. Many Hassidims and communities testified that the largest amount of donations they were able to raise for their educational institutions was during the period when the ultra-Orthodox were in the opposition in 2013.
Many people who were thinking of enlisting, realized that the story was probably not recruiting ultra-Orthodox. Haredim in BKOM/Niv Aharonson
The story now is mainly political. The spiritual leadership will not allow the heads of Shas and Torah Judaism to remain in the government if a legal solution is not found for the status of the yeshiva, and such, seems very far away. Gantz will not give his hand to the outline that the ultra-Orthodox are interested in, in Likud there are many opponents and in the current public atmosphere - it will be difficult to get a majority for any Such a move.
The ultra-orthodox are very frustrated. For them, the recruitment was the main thing in the current government. Quite a few of them expressed this anger in conversations with Netanyahu and Rival Levin in recent weeks: "If we had brought the recruitment before the legal reform and the budget, we would not have been at this event. It's your fault," they said.
If no solution is found, the spiritual leadership will not allow to remain in the government. Deri, Netanyahu and Goldknopf/Reuven Castro
But now it's crying over spilled milk and they're trying to minimize the damage as much as possible. The ultra-orthodox mark the middle of May as the date when the decision will be made. So the High Court of Justice is expected to rule definitively on the issue of the status of students who are required to be drafted. It is doubtful whether the ultra-Orthodox politicians have the necessary room for maneuver to be flexible on this issue, especially after the position of the ombudsman and the decision of the High Court. In such a situation, it seems that the chance of elections in 2024 increases dramatic.
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religious
The conscription law
Benjamin Netanyahu
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Aryeh Deri
Yitzhak Goldknopf
Rival Levin