Netanyahu’s draft law post sparks online conspiracy theories about ‘Israeli theocracy’

Pundit Ben Shapiro blasts mass misreading of Israeli prime minister’s call to ratchet up enforcement of draft law on people receiving army deferments on false pretenses.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after a social media post about ultra-Orthodox military conscription went viral among English-speaking users, fueling conspiracy theories that Netanyahu has turned Israel into a Jewish theocracy.

The dispute erupted after Netanyahu’s official X account posted a single sentence in Hebrew on Sunday.

“Whoever does not study Torah—will be drafted or go to jail.”

The remark refers to Israel’s years-long political debate over army deferments for full-time yeshiva students.

Netanyahu had been arguing that men who are not genuinely engaged in Torah study, but nonetheless are listed as full-time yeshiva students, should not be able to use yeshiva status to avoid mandatory military service.

However, without the surrounding Israeli political context, the line was widely circulated by social media users who interpreted it as saying that people would be forced either to study Jewish religious texts, serve in the Israeli military or face imprisonment.

The post accumulated millions of views as it spread outside Israel.

“Imagine a Muslim or Christian saying this,” wrote one user, whose post garnered more than 38,000 views.

“You’d all cry communism, And this is Americas number ally?”

A post by a Turkey-based account under the handle “Darwinian Ape” received over 5,000 likes, reading: “Yup, Israel is a fascistic genocidal theocracy.”

Another user wrote “Americans have spent nearly $7 BILLION funding Israeli religious extremism. Cut the pipeline.”

A day after the prime minister’s account uploaded the post, Shapiro excoriated X users who were using the comment to promote false claims that Israel is a Jewish theocracy that mandates Torah study.

“Okay, you illiterate asshats. Netanyahu is not arguing, contra RetardoX, that you will be punished for not studying Torah in Israel or elsewhere,” Shapiro wrote.

“He’s specifically addressing the #1 public issue in Israel: the draft exemption for Haredim (the ultra-Orthodox).”

Shapiro went on to argue that Israel’s longstanding deferment system for ultra-Orthodox men should be abolished.

“The yeshiva exemption is an vestigial structure, an evolutionary hangover from a deal cut at the foundation of the state between the Haredim and the government.”

“Today, many Ultra-Orthodox leaders argue that no Haredi should EVER serve in the army, whether they’re learning Torah or not. Most people who aren’t Haredi think that exemption should disappear entirely (for the record, I think that position is correct).”

“Netanyahu is proposing a compromise position. Under current law, in Israel, you can apply for exemption from the military draft as a yeshiva student. Many of those who do so are not in fact learning Torah.”

“He’s proposing that if you are not even studying Torah, there’s certainly no excuse for the yeshiva exemption for you.”

Shapiro shot down attempts to link the issue with American foreign policy or accusations of Jewish theocracy.

“This has literally nothing to do with American politics. It is certainly NOT a mandate that you MUST learn Torah or you’ll be punished with the draft or jail. You have to be a complete moron to believe any of that. But then again, RetardoX is filled with complete morons.”