Political commentator Amit Segal responded to Thursday's demonstration in Jerusalem, in which hundreds of thousands of haredim protested arrests of draft-dodging yeshiva students.
Speaking Channel 12 News, Segal analyzed the deeper significance for the haredi public and its broader sociological context.
According to him, the most central change in the proposed Draft Law bill its its wording: “The most significant change in the wording of the bill to be placed on the table of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is the removal of the term ‘yeshiva students,’ replaced with ‘regulating the status of yeshiva students.’ It sounds like a semantic change, but haredi leaders will say, ‘Look, see, this law doesn’t draft them-it formalizes their status.’”
Regarding the practical implications, Segal said, “Who joins the army? Those who dropped out after two years, or those doing National Service. This whole story needs to be viewed through a sociological lens.”
He further highlighted the disconnect between haredi society and modernity: “The entire protest today is evidence of the haredi public’s lack of a sustainable model. How was this protest filmed? With drones. How was it broadcast? Through 5G cellular technology. Where did the images come from? Cellphones they’re not even supposed to use. The whole event is a cry: ‘Let’s tear down the new world to its foundations.’”
Concluding, Segal commented on the strategic state of the haredi sector: “Bezalel Smotrich wants to lead Israel to his vision; he has a plan. Yair Golan has his plan. But the haredi community has no viable model. So what we’re seeing isn’t just a protest-it’s a cry of ‘Shema Yisrael’-we have no way to save ourselves right now, and we hope for the best.”
בסיום דבריו התייחס סגל למצבו האסטרטגי של המגזר החרדי ואמר, "בצלאל סמוטריץ' רוצה להוביל את מדינת ישראל למקום שלו, הוא מציג תוכנית, יאיר גולן יש לו את התוכנית שלו. אין מודל קיום לחברה החרדית - ולכן מה שאנחנו רואים עכשיו זה לא הפגנה, אלא זעקת 'שמע ישראל' - אין לנו כרגע איך להושיע את עצמנו ונקווה לטוב".