Opposition leader Lapid says he will push for law banning Haredi draft dodgers from voting

Opposition leader and head of the Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, criticized the coalition government’s planned new ultra-Orthodox draft bill, threatening that he would impose voting restrictions on draft dodgers if the opposition won the next elections.

The law, which, despite its name, would not likely lead to a significant increase in the conscription of Haredi men, has drawn ire from most of the opposition parties.  Senior Haredi leaders are organizing a massive “million man” prayer rally to take place this coming Thursday to protest against increasing incidents of Haredi men being arrested for dodging the draft.

In his remarks in a press conference on Monday, Lapid said that if the opposition wins the next elections, he would seek to ban those who don't do military service from voting.

“In the next government, there will be a simple law: Whoever does not come to the recruitment and screening base will not come to the polls. Whoever does not enlist will not vote in the elections,” Lapid stated. 

He also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas leader Aryeh Deeri of seeking ways to increase spending on Haredi causes despite the lack of military service. 

“Netanyahu and Deeri do not even pretend that they want to enlist Haredim,” Lapid continued. “Their proposal is full of deceit and fraud. This government, as we know, has been saying from day one: No to enlisting Haredim, yes to raising funds.” 

Lapid said the coalition government was established “thanks to the unholy alliance between draft dodgers and the corrupt.” 

Lapid said that his proposal should not be seen as a punishment of the ultra-Orthodox. 

He noted that "in the current Knesset, a bill was passed that said: Whoever does not enlist, does not vote. There is a future for voting in favor of it. We will return the bill without batting an eyelid, and we will tell the Haredim: This is not against you, this is not a punishment, on the contrary, it is an invitation – to be part of the Israeli story, of the common destiny, of a country where everyone has the same duties, otherwise they will not have the same rights.” 

The Yesh Atid party leader was referring to a bill put forward by Israel Beitenu party leader Avigdor Lieberman, which sought to link the right to vote with national service. 

Lapid’s statement was challenged by several of his opposition partners. 

Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz wrote on 𝕏 following the press conference that Lapid’s proposal is “one step too far.” 

“Those who promise you the revocation of voting rights from draft dodgers know that it is illegal and will not pass a High Court test,” Gantz wrote. “It is possible and necessary to impose personal sanctions, to revoke economic benefits, not to allow leaving the country. But fighting for democracy is not only when it suits politically.” 

“Revoking the right to vote and to be elected – that is one step too far,” he concluded. 

Knesset member Gilad Kariv of the Democrats Party also attacked the proposal on 𝕏. 

“With the right to vote, we are not playing games. In relation to any citizen or any group. We don't compromise on the conscription law and sharing the burden. We don't compromise on what is obvious in a democracy,” Kariv wrote to his X account. 

While other Western countries have pursued similar laws during wartime, Gantz’s statement focused on the Israeli Supreme Court’s likely action, as it has tended to reject moves to restrict suffrage. 

Hawkish opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman also attacked the failure of the government to pursue a law seeking equal conscription. He slammed the upcoming ultra-Orthodox rally against the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers, calling it an “evasion rally.” 

“The establishment leaders are holding a one-million-person evasion rally,” Lieberman said at a meeting of his Israel Beitenu party. “They used to say that anyone who doesn't study Torah will enlist in the IDF, but today they've taken off all the masks. Even anyone who doesn't study – won't enlist in the IDF.” 

He also condemned the hypocrisy of the government refusing to enforce the existing law while pursuing a law more amenable to the ultra-Orthodox parties. 

“They use incitement and subterfuge,” Lieberman stated. “This is a violation of the law.” 

“Anyone who incites against conscription in the IDF during a war is liable to a sentence of up to 15 years in prison,” he noted. “What do we have in common with those who sing, 'We do not believe in the rule of the infidels?' or 'We will die and not enlist?’ This is a fifth column that acts against the security of the State of Israel.” 

The Thursday protest against the conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, and the arrest of those who refuse to report for duty after receiving enlistment notices, is being organized by leaders from the major Haredi parties. 

Benny Gantz also criticized the protest rally as “dangerous for Israeli society and dangerous for the Haredi community.”  

“At a time when our hostages are returning, soldiers are still in Gaza, and families and businesses are trying to rebuild, you, who didn’t carry the burden, are now poking a finger in the eye of those who did?” Gantz asked Haredi leaders.