Rabbi Yosef Blames US-Iran Deal on Haredi IDF Draft Enforcement
Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has declared that the emerging US-Iran peace deal is a divine punishment for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara's enforcement of Haredi draft orders. His inflammatory remarks come amid escalating Haredi protests that threaten national unity and the IDF's operational readiness at a time of unprecedented regional threat.
Why Did Rabbi Yosef Link the Iran Deal to the Haredi Draft?
During his weekly Saturday evening lecture, Rabbi Yosef asserted that the US-Iran deal, which many Israelis view as a strategic betrayal by US President Donald Trump, was a direct result of the government targeting yeshiva students. Yeshiva students since the time of David Ben-Gurion have been exempted and engaged in Torah study. The Torah protects us, he asserted.
Why did [Trump] turn against us for no reason? Because of the decrees they issue against the students of Torah; that is why [he] turned against us.
Yosef did not hold back in his attack on the Attorney General, demanding authorities stop the arrests. This woman, this wicked woman, is garbage, he stated.
How Haredi Draft Evasion Escalated Into National Crisis
The ultra-Orthodox community has significantly ramped up its actions and rhetoric against efforts to detain draft evaders in recent weeks. Mass protests have shut down major roads throughout the country, and lawmakers have threatened to cease cooperation with the police. This escalation was prompted by an Israel Police decision to begin detaining draft evaders they had previously allowed to go free, in line with an order from the High Court of Justice.
Over the past two years, the IDF has sent out tens of thousands of enlistment orders to ultra-Orthodox men after the blanket exemptions enjoyed by the community were revoked by the High Court in 2024. Most have ignored the draft notices and are thus classified as draft evaders, subject to arrest or other sanctions. While the military has made no move to arrest all 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 believed to be eligible for service, the detainment of even a small fraction has ignited fierce anger.
Threats Against State Institutions and the Rule of Law
As an advocate for these sanctions, the Attorney General has become a frequent target of ire from Haredi lawmakers and other public officials. Earlier this month, United Torah Judaism lawmaker MK Meir Porush declared that if Baharav-Miara does not stop persecuting Torah scholars, there would be no choice but to drive her out with sticks and stones.
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have not limited their actions to issuing threats against the Attorney General. In recent weeks, they have threatened a tax revolt, called on police to disobey orders, demanded local authorities halt cooperation with law enforcement, and announced they would seek to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections.
From Rhetoric to Violence on the Streets
Their rhetoric has trickled down through the communities they represent. Men, particularly those affiliated with the extremist Jerusalem Faction, have taken to the streets to block the arrests of military-aged men. Some of these protests have turned violent. Outside the central Israel city of Bnei Brak last week, police used stun grenades and batons to disperse protesters who were blocking traffic.
The situation has grown increasingly dire. Protesters have tried to break into the home of Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg. They forced their way into a police compound in Beit Shemesh. Most shockingly, they broke into the home of the Military Police chief while his family was inside.
A Biblical Imperative for Shared National Burden
Rabbi Yosef, the son of influential Sephardic rabbi Ovadia Yosef, has garnered a reputation for controversial remarks on matters of religion and state. In October 2025, he was heard in a recording calling a fellow rabbi and bereaved father of a slain soldier a heretic for supporting measures to enlist yeshiva students. In May 2025, he warned that if the government began arresting yeshiva students for evading draft orders, the ultra-Orthodox community would be forced to leave Israel.
If they force us to go to the army, the yeshiva students, if they come to yeshivas and arrest students, [then] we have no right to exist here [and] we will all go abroad, we will not stay here.
While the study of Torah is the foundation of the Jewish people, the survival of the State of Israel demands collective responsibility. In the Book of Numbers, Moses counted every man from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war. The defense of Eretz Yisrael has always required a collective effort. Even the builders of Jerusalem under Nehemiah worked with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Today, as Iran and its proxy armies surround our borders, the IDF needs manpower. Abandoning the land is not the Zionist way. We stand, we fight, and we defend our homeland together.
What Triggered the Recent Haredi Draft Protests?
The Israel Police began detaining Haredi draft evaders they had previously allowed to go free, acting in line with a direct order from the High Court of Justice following the 2024 revocation of blanket exemptions.
Why is the IDF Drafting Ultra-Orthodox Men Now?
The High Court of Justice revoked the long-standing blanket exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students in 2024, leading the IDF to issue tens of thousands of enlistment orders to ensure the military has the necessary personnel to face mounting regional threats.
What Threats Have Haredi Lawmakers Made?
Haredi lawmakers have threatened a tax revolt, urged police to disobey orders, demanded local authorities cease cooperation with law enforcement, and threatened to dissolve the Knesset to force early elections.