Chareidi Parties to Netanyahu: ‘We’ve Heard Enough Promises—Now Show Us Results’
Senior officials in the chareidi parties are dismissing Isreli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s latest assurances regarding legislation aimed at preventing the arrest of bnei yeshivah, insisting that only concrete action—not public statements—will restore their confidence.
A senior source within the chareidi factions responded to Netanyahu’s recent remarks and to a letter issued by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs outlining proposed arrest legislation. “We’ve had enough words and promises,” the official said. “Netanyahu will be judged only by his actions.”
The sharp criticism reflects growing frustration among chareidi lawmakers over what they view as repeated delays in advancing legislation important to the Torah community. On Friday, Fuchs sent a formal letter to Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth detailing a proposal intended to prevent the arrest of lomdei Torah who are studying under what he described as “effective supervision.”
The senior official argued that Netanyahu has made similar commitments before, only to abandon them when it mattered most.
“We’ve seen him stand at the Knesset podium several times explaining why the draft law had to pass, but when the decisive moment came, he was the one who buried the draft law,” the source said. “He did the same thing with the daycare law—plenty of talk, but in practice nothing happened.”
The source then delivered a blunt warning to the coalition, saying the patience of the chareidi parties has run out.
“Now we’ve had enough words and promises. We want to see action. Until we see action, no legislation will move forward in the current Knesset until it is dissolved, including the bill to split the attorney general’s position and the communications law.”
Additional senior chareidi officials reportedly said this past week that although they generally support changes to the office of the attorney general, they will not back legislation dividing that position unless the coalition first delivers on two key priorities: passage of the Basic Law: Torah Study and the proposed law preventing the arrests of bnei yeshivah.
The latest dispute follows a high-level meeting reported last week between Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
During that meeting, Deri and Gafni reportedly demanded immediate progress on the two flagship pieces of legislation sought by the chareidi community—the Basic Law: Torah Study and the arrest bill.
According to the report, the two party leaders also insisted that Netanyahu personally guarantee a parliamentary majority to pass both measures. They reportedly warned that if the coalition failed to move forward with the legislation promptly, the chareidi parties would seek the immediate dissolution of the Knesset.
At a press conference Friday, Netanyahu addressed the arrests of lomdei Torah, expressing strong opposition to the current policy.
“If they told you that Torah learners were being arrested in Europe, you would be horrified,” Netanyahu said. “We are arresting young men inside the yeshivah. That cannot happen. I strongly oppose it.”
In his letter, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs explained that the proposed legislation would apply only to bnei yeshivah studying under “effective supervision” by their yeshivos.
Fuchs wrote that, following the High Court’s ruling, government funding was cut off to yeshivos enrolling students subject to military service, while those students and their families were also subjected to various financial sanctions. He added that the Attorney General subsequently instructed the IDF to carry out repeated arrest operations “without distinguishing between yeshivah students who are actively learning and those who are not.”
According to Fuchs, the current situation has created significant unrest even among chareidi families whose sons serve in chareidi combat units or attend hesder yeshivos. The report noted that if the coalition intends to advance the arrest bill, the legislation must be formally circulated immediately—a step that, as of now, has yet to take place.
{Matzav.com}