Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara escalated her war against Torah on Tuesday, ordering the IDF to send draft notices to all Chareidim of draft age in the upcoming draft year [which begins in June], without any distinction in their status as Lomdei Torah.

There are approximately 80,000 bnei yeshivos who are eligible for the draft and about 18,000 have received draft orders.  The implication is that in the upcoming draft year, in addition to the new draft cohort, the IDF will have to send conscription notices to approximately 60,000 bnei yeshivos.

Baharav-Miara, whose real goal is to topple the government, is escalating the crisis caused by reports of an arrest operation of Chareidi draft dodgers on Monday evening. The IDF later clarified that the arrests are part of a routine operation that takes place every year.

Senior UTJ officials said: “Even if they arrest 20 non-Chareidi draft dodgers and only one ben yeshivah, we will bring down the government.”

A senior figure in a Chareidi party told Maariv: “We are examining the meaning of the decision to carry out the arrest of draft dodgers. If Lomdei Torah are arrested, we will not be able to continue in the government. A point worth remembering is that we turned a blind eye to the arrest of bochurim at Ben Gurion Airport, but we will not be able to ignore the arrest of Lomdei Torah.”

Another senior source said: “We don’t yet know if this is a real or declarative move, but if there is a surge in arrests – and especially if it is directed at the Chareidi public and not the general public – the government will be in trouble.”

In contrast, another senior source said: “If the arrest of bnei yeshivos is carried out, there is no coalition. Immediately. It won’t take days or weeks, the event will be very quick.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)