Netanyahu defends ultra-Orthodox draft law, accuses left of hypocrisy on conscription issue

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the media and left-wing bloc of hypocrisy over their shifting stance on ultra-Orthodox military conscription. He claimed that after four years of attacks on the ultra-Orthodox community, critics are now softening their language—calling it a "soft conscription law" instead of "draft evasion"—to gain political power. Netanyahu stated that only Likud and the right-wing bloc have worked to regulate the status of Torah scholars, allowing those who study to continue doing so legally. He emphasized his government's approach involves cooperation with ultra-Orthodox leaders and ensures that those not studying in yeshivas will enlist in the IDF while maintaining their religious identity.