At the same time, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett released a statement slamming Netanyahu after he canceled the address he was scheduled to deliver tonight.

Bennett sharply criticized the draft-evasion law, noting the IDF is short roughly 20,000 soldiers needed to defend Israel’s borders. He said Israel must either draft Charedim “to shoulder the burden,” or force reservists into an additional 120 days of reserve service each year, ruining their professional and family lives.