Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the leaders of the haredi community, that he dismissed Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi because of their opposition to the agreed-upon conscription bill, Channel 13 revealed on Wednesday.
"We need to save not just the State of Israel, but also the Torah world," Netanyahu is heard telling the rabbi in a recording published by Channel 13. He added: "With G-d's help, that is what we'll do. To do this, we need time to pass the bill properly, so it can't be challenged. We can do that, I am going to do that."
Netanyahu added: "There were huge roadblocks which we removed. You know, when the Defense Minister is against you and the Chief of Staff is against you, you can't move forward. Now we can move forward. I also spoke personally about 20 times with Yuli Edelstein, who runs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. I told him, 'Look, I am taking command and responsibility. I want you to have more discussions.' He began doing it."
"There are those who are trying to undermine us. I came from the military now. The military is doing exactly what we asked it to do now. They are creating programs, they are creating the ability to absorb haredim and to live a haredi lifestyle in the military. It's amazing what's being done. People who go in haredi will come out haredi. We don't want them to go in haredi and come out secular, that's what we don't want. We want the ability for every Torah observant person to remain Torah observant, part of the Torah world. We can do it, it's not a problem. Actually, since we switched the Chief of Staff, since we switched the Defense Minister, who in fact blocked it the entire time, now we can move forward with more security and professionalism," Netanyahu said.
Former Minister Yoav Galant commented on the report: "I am proud that I stood by the principle that everyone must take part in the mission of defending the country. To sustain the State of Israel, we need a strong and determined military. The need to conscript every young man of enlistment age is essential for Israel's security. Everyone must enlist, secular, religious, and haredim, everyone."