Recordings broadcast Wednesday evening on Channel 12 reveal that senior haredi rabbis backing the passage of a proposed conscription law view it primarily as a delaying measure, with no expectation that it will lead to the enlistment of yeshiva students into the IDF.
In the recordings, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch says he supports the legislation because it would “buy time" for the haredi community. Asked whether yeshiva students who fall outside existing study frameworks would eventually be required to enlist, he responded unequivocally: “God forbid."
Addressing the enlistment targets included in the proposed law, Rabbi Hirsch dismissed them outright. “Do they think we will want to meet the target? Of course we will not want to," he said, adding that he believes the law will ultimately collapse after a few years. “In the meantime, we gained time," he explained.
Rabbi Hirsch also referred to past attempts to create special enlistment frameworks for haredim under the leadership of the late Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, calling them a mistake. “Our community does not have such compromises," he said.
Another leading figure, Rabbi Dov Lando, was equally blunt, stating that there is no intention to enlist any haredim - including those not studying in yeshivot. “What they are talking about is nonsense - it will not happen. We will not go to the army; no one will go to the army," he said.
The revelations sparked sharp political reactions. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the recordings prove that “the spiritual leaders of the haredi parties are openly admitting that the draft-evading law is a fraud and that no haredi youth will enlist."
Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman echoed that criticism, saying, “The rabbinical council of draft evasion has revealed its true face. It’s all a bluff - no haredi will enlist. We will continue to send our sons and daughters to the army, and they will continue to send theirs to live off the taxes we pay."
Likud MK Dan Illouz called on his coalition colleagues to act, saying, “I once again urge my fellow coalition members to join my demand to amend the law."
The National Religious Reservists Forum also responded forcefully, stating, “It’s time to stop closing our eyes and face reality. The leading haredi authorities are openly admitting they have no intention of meeting enlistment targets and are merely stringing along the public that serves."