IDF draft arrests could spark ‘civil war,’ disaster, says haredi MK

MK Meir Porush accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of fueling dangerous divisions in Israeli society over the military draft issue.

By World Israel News Staff

A lawmaker from an ultra-Orthodox (haredi) party warned that forcibly drafting religious Jewish young men into the Israeli army could lead to “civil war” in Israel.

The warning came following recent government efforts to crack down on yeshiva students who fail to respond to summons for military duty.

Two students were recently arrested for allegedly ignoring draft orders, sparking outrage within the ultra-Orthodox community.

The arrests ignited mass protests and prompted threats from ultra-Orthodox leaders that they would take “global action” against the government to prevent further arrests.

“We are getting closer to a situation of a civil war in the State of Israel between the haredim [ultra-Orthodox] and the secular Israelis,” MK Meir Porush of the United Torah Judaism party told Israel National News on Sunday.

“All this is inspired by the Attorney General [Gali Baharav-Miara]. This is what she is causing,” Porush said from a protest encampment outside her office.

The military draft exemption for religious Jewish men has long been a contentious issue in Israel.

The Supreme Court ruled the IDF’s blanket exemption policy as unconstitutional in June 2024, requiring the Knesset to enshrine the exemptions for yeshiva students into law.

Political resistance — since such a law would be unpopular with most Israeli voters — has stalled legislation.

With no legal exemption currently in place, Attorney General Baharav-Miara ordered the IDF to issue draft notices to thousands of ultra-Orthodox men. Those who refuse to respond to the summons, as many rabbis have instructed their followers to do, now face the risk of arrest.

“I cannot sit comfortably in my office when the military is roaming around at night and arresting yeshiva students. It is my duty as a public representative to express our protest against the measures demanded by the attorney general,” Porush told Hebrew-language media at a press conference.

“If the persecution of Torah students does not stop, it will lead to disaster for the people of Israel,” he declared.

Speaking to the haredi outlet Kikar HaShabbat, Porush doubled down on his comments, warning of widespread internal chaos over the draft issue.

“You can’t go to war with some 1.25 million ultra-Orthodox citizens who want to live here in a certain way,” he said, adding that without an immediate solution, internal divisions would “grow, and no one will be able to stop it.”

“If young men get arrested it will definitely escalate into a conflict… There would definitely be a terrible fight here,” Porush stressed.