JERUSALEM – Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz sharply criticized plans by ultra-Orthodox parties to stage a massive anti-draft protest in Jerusalem later this week, warning the demonstration threatens to deepen social divisions at a time of national recovery.
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The rally, backed by Degel HaTorah, Agudat Yisrael, Shas, and other Haredi groups, was called in response to what organizers describe as a “wave of arrests” of yeshiva students who refused military summonses.
Speaking before a Knesset faction meeting, Gantz accused the protest’s backers of showing contempt for soldiers still fighting in Gaza and for families mourning loved ones. “When hostages are returning home and soldiers remain on the battlefield, those who avoided the burden should not be mocking those who carried it,” he said.
Gantz appealed directly to Haredi leaders and rabbis to intervene, urging them “not to cooperate with extremists” and to “put an end to this madness.”
The former defense minister also reaffirmed that Blue and White would only join a government committed to passing a universal draft law. “We will not be part of a coalition that sends others to war while funding those who avoid it,” he declared.
Gantz is desperately seeking publicity to re-energize his party that’s sinking like the Titanic.
Where was he during the anti court reform protests? He was protesting too. Typical loony liberal. Do as I say not as I do.
I just don’t understand. I’m not encouraging yeshiva bochurim to join the army. Show up to the center and get your deferment. We all know we are living in golus. If that was the rule in the US or any other country all the yeshiva bochurim would show up at the draft centers and get their deferment.
What am I missing ?
Gantz is an irrelevant nobody. Our rabbanim called for action and the bnei torah obey
Gantz doesn’t realize that as long as the Non-observant Israelis will keep on fighting while the Chareidim look for all kinds of excuses not to fight, nothing will change.
IMHO learning Torah is the solution, not making protests. If we all learn as hard as the soldiers fight, we would have won the war a long time ago, and the chilonim would appreciate our Torah learning.
Though he’s not wrong, he shouldn’t talk. He supported the Kaplan anarchists who want a fascist court system and overthrow of the duly elected government. He met with Biden & Co. during that time and nobody still knows for what.
” “When hostages are returning home and soldiers remain on the battlefield, those who avoided the burden should not be mocking those who carried it,” he said.” Their “burden” exists only because they chose to create their country there and the inevitable endless wars they knew would result from that decision. And their “burden” would be lessened if they would just let the religious Jews keep their religion and generate merits for them with their Torah learning.