PM reveals ousting of top officials to advance controversial haredi military service bill
"Everyone must serve: Secular, religious, and haredim," Gallant said in response.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted former defense minister Yoav Gallant and former IDF chief-of-staff Herzi Halevi were "obstacles" to reaching a bill to grant ultra-Orthodox Jews exemption from military service, leaked recordings of the prime minister published by Channel 13 on Wednesday revealed.
In a recording of an English-language conversation with an unnamed senior rabbi, the prime minister appeared to admit his firing of Gallant in November of last year, and Halevi's resignation earlier this year, amounted to "enormous obstacles that we removed...to advance" a draft bill acceptable to the haredi factions in the coalition.
"You know, when the defense minister's against you, and the chief-of-staff is against you, you cannot move - now we can move," Netanyahu is heard saying in the recording.
"I have also talked personally about 20 times [with] Yuli Edelstein, who runs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and I said: 'Look, I'm personally taking charge of this.'"
In a later statement, the Prime Minister's Office asserted that it stood by its decision to remove Halevi and Gallant.
"As is clearly heard in the recordings — without the distorted interpretation of Channel 13's 'analysts' — the Prime Minister notes that it was the previous Chief of Staff and Defense Minister who prevented the establishment of the dedicated units for Haredi service," the Wednesday statement reads.
"In contrast, the current Defense Minister and Chief of Staff are advancing the issue rapidly and professionally — and we are proud of that."
In the recording, Netanyahu further implied that Gallant and Halevi interfered in the IDF's ability to acceptharedi men into military service.
"Look, there are people who are trying to undermine us. I came from the army now. The army is doing exactly what we asked them to do now, they're creating the ability to receive haredim and hold a haredi lifestyle in the army."
Gallant commented on Channel 13's report on Wednesday evening, stressing that he is "proud to have stood by the principle by which everyone must take part in the mission of defending our nation. The need to enlist every young man of military age is essential to maintaining Israel's security," he wrote on X/Twitter.
"Everyone must serve: Secular, religious, and haredim," Gallant added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed Netanyahu and said that the prime minister was willing to sacrifice the country for his political gain.
"A question that should trouble the sleep of every Israeli tonight: What else is Netanyahu willing to do for the sake of evasion and politics while the State of Israel is fighting for its life?"
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