Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Resigns Over Haredi Draft Law

07/17/2026 / By Garrison Vance

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel resigned from her post on Tuesday, July 14, in protest against a law passed by the Knesset that temporarily bars the arrest or prosecution of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men who evade military conscription, according to a report from the

Haskel stated that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lied to her and to the Israeli public about the legislation and said she could not support a government she believes is harming national security during a time of war. The law, she argued, constitutes a “backstabbing” of soldiers who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and actively damages the country’s ability to defend itself.

The Legislation and Resignation Details

The legislation passed its final readings in the Knesset on July 14 by a vote of 58 to 54, according to the Times of Israel [1]. The bill, proposed by the United Torah Judaism party, temporarily prohibits authorities from arresting or prosecuting ultra-Orthodox men and yeshiva students for draft evasion until Nov. 30, 2026.

Critics described the measure as a bid by the governing coalition to avoid a political crisis with its Haredi partners, who had threatened to bring down the government if the conscription issue was not resolved in their favor. Haskel’s resignation came immediately after the vote.

In her public statement, she called the law an act that “harms national security” and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of prioritizing political survival over the needs of the military. According to the report, Haskel said that by passing the law, the coalition had “lied to the citizens of Israel” and had chosen to exempt tens of thousands of Haredi men from service while the IDF faces acute manpower shortages on multiple fronts [1].

Reactions and Court Intervention

Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the legislation, saying the government is “spitting in the faces” of IDF soldiers who risk their lives, the Times of Israel reported [1]. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel also criticized the law, arguing that it is not a “temporary emergency measure” but rather a long-term exemption that undermines the principle of equal service. The group filed a petition with the High Court of Justice, which subsequently froze implementation of the law and ordered a hearing on the petitions [1].

Earlier, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had issued a harsh letter calling the proposed mechanism “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs,” according to the Times of Israel [2]. Zamir warned Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Knesset committee chairman Boaz Bismuth that the legislation would make it impossible for the military to meet its recruitment goals. The High Court’s intervention signaled that the legal battle over Haredi conscription is far from over.

Manpower Crisis and Background

The Haredi community has been largely exempt from military service since Israel’s founding, a decades-old arrangement that has become increasingly contentious as the IDF faces severe personnel shortages. In June 2024, the High Court of Justice ordered the government to begin drafting Haredi men, escalating tensions between the state and the ultra-Orthodox leadership. The court’s ruling was followed by mass protests in Jerusalem in October 2025, with hundreds of thousands of Haredi men rallying against what they called an attack on their religious identity [3].

In March 2026, Zamir reportedly warned the security cabinet that the “IDF is going to collapse in on itself” amid mounting operational demands and a growing manpower shortage, according to a Channel 13 news report cited by the Times of Israel [4]. The military is urgently seeking 12,000 additional troops, including 7,000 combat soldiers, to sustain operations on multiple fronts [5].

The manpower crisis is compounded by the fact that reservists have been called up for extended periods, leading to burnout and a state of “de facto collapse” in some units, an anonymous commander told Army Radio [4]. The coalition government continues to struggle to balance the demands of its Haredi partners with mounting opposition calls for a shared military burden.

References

The Times of Israel. “Knesset passes law banning arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, legitimizing ongoing non-enlistment.” July 14, 2026.
The Times of Israel. “IDF chief raps ‘inconceivable’ bill freezing ultra-Orthodox enlistment.” July 13, 2026.
The Times of Israel. “Tens of thousands crowd Jerusalem in ultra-Orthodox display of force against IDF draft.” October 30, 2025.
The Times of Israel. “Zamir said to warn cabinet that IDF will ‘collapse in on itself’ amid manpower shortage.” March 27, 2026.
NaturalNews.com. “Israel faces critical soldier shortage as Lebanon conflict looms and Gaza war drags on.” November 12, 2025.
The Times of Israel. “Bill approved for final Knesset readings would freeze Haredi enlistment for at least 7 months.” July 12, 2026.