At the conference of the Federation of Local Authorities in Eilat, Minister Dudi Amsalem (Likud) caused a stir. According to the Israeli news portal Ynet, he used the event to lash out at the judiciary, the left, and the Haredi conscription law — and did not hold back from making provocative statements.
“Without the Torah, there is no people of Israel. I view everyone who studies Torah as contributing no less than a soldier currently fighting in Gaza. There is no difference between them,” Amsalem said at the conference. According to him, the army has a “surplus of combat soldiers,” yet is still being swept along by the “toxic rhetoric of the left.”
A frontal attack on the Left
Amsalem also used the conference to launch a sharp attack on his political opponents.
“We have endured four terrible years, and I have come to the conclusion that the Left in Israel is the most violent and anti-democratic element in the country,” the minister said.
Asked about judicial reform, he went further: “We will implement the reform both by force and by reason.”
On the possibility of new elections, he said: “The elections will take place after the High Holidays — sometime in September.”
A law that has divided Israel for decades
The issue of Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) and military service is not new in Israel — but since October 7, 2023, it has taken on an entirely new intensity.
According to the army, there are around 70,000 draft-eligible Haredim between the ages of 18 and 29. Many simply do not report for induction, while some publicly burn their draft notices.
For reservists, some of whom have served almost continuously for nearly two years, this is extremely difficult to bear. According to one poll, 85 percent of non-ultra-Orthodox Israelis support harsh sanctions against draft evaders — including the removal of social benefits, driver’s licenses, and even voting rights.
As The Jerusalem Post reported, the coalition even postponed the vote on the state budget in January 2026 because the Haredi parties Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) threatened to withdraw their support. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued a stark warning to the Knesset: the army urgently needs tens of thousands of new soldiers — otherwise, the armed forces could face collapse.
Opposition and coalition under pressure
Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah faction, publicly called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” and urged his party to work toward dissolving the Knesset.
The party followed through and withdrew its support from the coalition.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who formed a joint list in April 2026, responded immediately.
“Of course it is possible to draft Haredim. You will see,” Bennett said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Lapid called for the immediate dissolution of the Knesset.
Should the Knesset indeed be dissolved, new elections could take place as early as the summer months.
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