"Stop the Haredi Witch Hunt": Likud MK Erupts Over Yeshiva Arrests

Likud MK Tally Gotliv has launched one of the most scathing political attacks yet on Israel's escalating enforcement campaign against Haredi draft dodgers, accusing the justice system of discriminatory persecution and comparing the current climate to the darkest chapters of Jewish history.

In a blistering post on X Wednesday, Gotliv expressed outrage over what she characterized as selective enforcement that targets yeshiva students while ignoring pacifist draft evaders from Tel Aviv and other secular communities.

"I am horrified by the arrests of Haredim versus zero arrests of pacifist draft dodgers from Tel Aviv and similar places," Gotliv stated. "The hatred toward Haredim and turning them into a sick enemy fills me with disgust."

"Ideological Evasion Is Fine, Torah Study Is Not?"

The Likud lawmaker's comments come amid mounting tensions over the draft enforcement crisis, following Police Commissioner Danny Levi's recent directive ordering civilian police to transfer any draft-eligible individual they encounter to military police custody.

Gotliv drew a sharp contrast between the treatment of different categories of draft evaders, noting the apparent double standard in enforcement priorities.

"So idealistic evasion is great, but evasion because of Torah study? That's where we draw the line. (And I'm being cynical, of course)," she wrote. "Well, enough!! Stop immediately this persecution of Haredim - it reminds me of very dark and gloomy periods."

A Legal Strategy to Avoid Arrest

Beyond her rhetorical assault, Gotliv offered practical legal advice to young Haredi men facing potential detention. She recommended that every draft-eligible individual immediately file a formal request for deferment of service through official channels.

"To the Haredim, I suggest that every candidate for conscription submit a personal request for service deferment immediately," she wrote. "The submission of the request itself will prevent arrest. You will defeat the persecution of Meyara with you on her own turf."

The strategy appears designed to exploit legal procedures that typically prevent authorities from arresting individuals who have active administrative requests pending with the IDF.

Broader Political Fallout

Gotliv's intervention adds a significant Likud voice to what has become an increasingly volatile political crisis. Her comments follow Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni's extraordinary directive ordering a complete boycott of police cooperation by Haredi municipal representatives nationwide.

The escalation has also drawn sharp criticism from Shas MK Michael Malkieli, who accused Police Commissioner Levi of targeting Torah learners for political reasons rather than focusing on violent crime.

Meanwhile, overnight arrests continue. At least three yeshiva students were transferred to military custody Tuesday night, including top student Reuven Lamnatzach from the Kibbutz Givat Ze'ev Yeshiva, whose dean compared the enforcement campaign to Roman persecution of Torah study.

Gotliv, who was recently physically removed from a Supreme Court hearing after repeatedly interrupting proceedings, has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of what she views as judicial and law enforcement overreach against the Haredi community.

The controversy unfolds as the government grapples with implementing draft legislation following Supreme Court rulings that ended blanket exemptions for yeshiva students. Enforcement efforts have intensified in recent weeks, with police checkpoints and nighttime operations targeting draft-eligible Haredi men who have not reported to recruitment offices as instructed by military authorities.

Haredi leaders have instructed their followers not to comply with draft orders, setting up a direct confrontation between religious authority and state law that shows no signs of resolution.