Chairman of the Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid responded to the statement of Shas Chairman Eli Yishai by which Yeshiva students should be willing to give their lives and not be drafted into the IDF by coercion. “The comparison of IDF draft to the three fundamental transgressions of idolatry, incest and bloodshed that are to be avoided at the expense of one’s life is an insult to anyone wearing an IDF uniform.
“The PM should immediately fire a minister who makes this comparison. If Yishai stays, the PM does not lead a Zionist government. The PM will probably prefer the natural Hareidi partners of the Likud over taxpaying IDF reservists who struggle to make ends meet.
(Eli Yishai was referring to the instance of coercion to compromise any Jewish practice, such as the study of Torah, which also warrants self-sacrifice according to Jewish Law. Yishai was voicing the Halakhic position on IDF draft by coercion, ed.)