Arrest warrants were issued for three grandsons of Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri on charges of being absent without leave from military service, the Galei Tzahal reported Wednesday.
Deri, a member of the security cabinet, regularly takes part in the most sensitive security discussions and is involved in decisions concerning IDF operations, while his grandsons are wanted by the military police after failing to enlist.
The report comes against the backdrop of growing tensions in the haredi community over arrests of absentees, and alongside Deri's efforts to advance an arrangement that would reduce arrests of yeshiva students.
The report noted that Deri's grandsons are not an exceptional case, and that today about 60,000 Haredi youths have had arrest warrants issued against them for being absent without leave. It added that relatives of ministers and Shas MKs have enlisted in the IDF without attracting public attention.
In response to the report, Deri said, "I vehemently protest the arrest warrants issued against thousands of Torah scholars in Israel, including my grandsons, whom I am proud of. It all stems from the whim of politicians and the attorney general, in an attempt to bring down the government."
Deri added, "It is a disgrace to the State of Israel that Torah scholars are pursued in this way. My colleagues and I are working with all our might to stop these political arrests and to regularize the status of yeshiva students."