Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman declared that if he is part of Israel’s next government, it will not grant even the smallest exemption from military service to Torah students. In a wide-ranging and combative interview with Yishai Cohen, Lieberman launched a blistering attack on the Chareidi leadership, accusing it of repeatedly breaking agreements, insisting that every Chareidi man must serve, and revealing what MK Moshe Gafni allegedly admitted to him behind the scenes regarding the draft law Lieberman promoted in 2018.
The interview also touched on Lieberman’s criticism of the Netanyahu government, his refusal to sit in a coalition supported by Arab parties, whether he intends to seek the premiership, and the personal rift that ended his longtime friendship with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.
Discussing the ongoing debate over military service, Lieberman insisted that he would support no exemptions whatsoever for Torah students.
“There will not be even a fraction of an exemption,” he declared.
He also rejected the proposal put forward by Gadi Eisenkot to exempt three percent of each annual draft class of Torah students and disclosed that MK Moshe Gafni privately acknowledged to him, “You were right in 2018.”
Turning to the conflict with Iran, Lieberman addressed the recent escalation, including U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and Iran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“What is clear is that the Iranians are determined to use the ‘Hormuz bomb.’ They invented the ‘Hormuz bomb’ during the war, even before an atomic bomb, and they are using that card very aggressively. It is beyond my understanding. It was obvious, and I don’t know how they failed to take it into account.”
Lieberman argued that Israel has failed to secure a decisive victory over Iran and warned that the Islamic Republic has emerged from the conflict stronger than before.
“No decisive outcome has been achieved. What we are seeing is that the Iranians are returning fire, they have enough launchers, they have taken control of the domestic arena, and this crazy regime is emerging stronger from this entire event. We must understand: You do not launch a military campaign without understanding how you are going to achieve victory—and there is no victory.”
He also dismissed reports describing an alleged secret meeting between Mossad Director David Barnea and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“It is absolute madness. This entire publication is absolute madness. All the commentary we have seen on the television channels is absolute madness. It is a total loss of control.”
Speaking more broadly about Israel’s military campaigns in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen, Lieberman accused the government of pursuing a failed strategy.
“This government is incapable of achieving victory because it continues the policy of containment, allows the other side to grow stronger, and shows weakness in the use of force. There is no chance they will achieve victory.”
Lieberman noted that when the current coalition was formed, he predicted it would survive no more than a year and a half. Asked how it nevertheless managed to complete a full term, he argued that it did so at the expense of the Israeli public.
“This is a coalition at the expense of the public. In order to survive, we have seen division and incitement during wartime—division unlike anything the people of Israel have ever experienced. There is only one side here, and that is the side of the prime minister, who is prepared to sacrifice the entire country simply to remain in power. This is a sectoral coalition in which everyone is looking after his own constituency.”
Referring to recent opinion polls, Lieberman expressed confidence that the opposition would ultimately prevail.
“Yesterday we had 59 seats in Channel 12’s poll, and I have seen polls showing 62. They deserve respect, but I trust what I hear on the ground more, and we will form a stable coalition.”
Lieberman also ruled out any possibility of joining a government that depends on Arab parties.
“Certainly not. Without the Arab factions, absolutely. We will not sit with them—not through abstentions and not in a minority government. We will not sit with Netanyahu, and we will not sit with Arab parties. Before the election we will surpass 60 seats with a surplus.”
Asked who should lead a future opposition government, Lieberman declined to rule himself out as a candidate for prime minister.
“First, we need to remove the government of the October 7 massacre. This is the worst government in the history of the State of Israel since 1948. Everything else we will decide afterward. There are many considerations involved in forming a government. Right now I am focused on one mission: bringing down this government. In terms of experience, ability to perform, and understanding the political map, I believe I have an advantage over everyone else, but I am putting that discussion aside for now. I wish everyone success.”
Questioned about his deteriorating relationship with the Chareidi public after years of political cooperation, Lieberman insisted that the change had not come from him.
“Something happened to the other side, not to me. When I hear Rav Yitzchak Yosef saying, ‘If you receive a draft order—tear it up and throw it into the toilet,’ and Rabbi Maya saying, ‘Even someone who does not study Torah may not enlist,’ that is what I hear.”
Lieberman reiterated that any government in which he serves will grant no exemptions to Torah students and criticized Eisenkot’s proposal for limited exemptions.
“There will be no exemptions! Not even a fraction of an exemption! Gadi demonstrated that he lacks experience. Anyone who says there is a contradiction between Torah study and military service does not understand our sources.”
He went on to accuse the Chareidi leadership of repeatedly reneging on agreements.
“I personally brought forward a law that I coordinated with Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni, and they helped me pass it in its first reading, but in the end there was not a single time that the Chareidi leadership did not deceive.”
Lieberman then revealed a private conversation he says took place two weeks ago with MK Moshe Gafni, during which Gafni allegedly expressed regret that Lieberman’s 2018 draft law never became law.
“Two weeks ago, Gafni and I were sitting behind the Knesset plenum. He reminded me that in 2018 I told them, ‘One day you will miss this law.’ He told me, ‘How right you were, and how sorry we are,’ but that opportunity is gone.”
Lieberman concluded by pledging that he would refuse to join any coalition that does not require universal military service for Chareidim.
“There will be no exemptions. Either there is one hundred percent enlistment, or there is no government. Period. As clearly as possible.”
At the end of the interview, Lieberman was asked how his close personal friendship with Aryeh Deri had deteriorated into one of the fiercest rivalries in Israeli politics.
“We were excellent friends. When someone is your friend, you expect him to be your friend—not to sell you for ‘a bowl of lentils’ and not to pursue personal interests. Friendship comes before everything. It has nothing to do with politics. It is personal. Friendship is above everything.
“When I expect nothing from someone, I have no problem with him. But he was a close friend—for decades. Something happened that had nothing to do with politics. It was personal. Once the value of friendship is violated, it is very difficult to move forward.”
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Matzav.com}