Deri Says IDF Prefers Secular Army, Declines to Urge Haredi Enlistment

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said he would not urge Haredi men who are not studying Torah to enlist, arguing that recruitment is the IDF’s responsibility. He said the army does not want Haredi soldiers and prefers a secular force over troops who follow their rabbis. Deri said Torah learners’ status should be regulated first and that leading rabbis should approve genuine service tracks, while not categorically ruling out service for non-students. Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman and Gadi Eisenkot criticized the remarks, with Eisenkot pledging a future enlistment law that would preserve Torah study’s standing.