Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday pledged to launch a formal investigation into what he called the deliberate undermining of Chareidi military enlistment, hours after the Knesset approved Israel’s 2026 state budget in an overnight session that included a last-minute NIS 800 million allocation to Chareidi institutions.

“In the new government, I will establish a special commission of inquiry regarding the sabotage of Chareidi enlistment, in a time of war, which harmed Israel’s security,” Bennett said in a live address Monday evening. “Everyone who knowingly took part in violating the Security Service Law during wartime will be investigated.”

The budget passed in the early hours of Monday following a political maneuver in which dozens of opposition lawmakers inadvertently voted to support an amendment earmarking the funds for Haredi educational institutions. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara later intervened to block the actual disbursement of the funds.

Bennett, who is positioning himself to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections scheduled for October, accused the government of rewarding draft evasion while punishing working and serving Israelis.

“They took from us, the serving and working public, another NIS 800 million, and transferred it to Chareidi institutions,” he said, adding that the budget “punishes those who serve and work, and rewards those who choose to evade the draft.”

The Chareidi parties had agreed to support the budget despite the coalition’s failure to pass legislation enshrining blanket draft exemptions for yeshiva students, a bill that has since been set aside but may be revived.

Approximately 80,000 Chareidi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service but have not enlisted. The IDF has repeatedly reported a shortage of some 12,000 troops due to the ongoing conflict. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recently warned the security cabinet that without a resolution to the manpower shortage, the military would ultimately “collapse in on itself.”

The High Court ruled in June 2024 that the government must begin conscripting Chareidi men. Since then, yeshivas sheltering draft evaders have faced budget cuts, and draft refusers have lost access to certain government benefits. The IDF has also begun arresting small numbers of evaders. At the same time, the attorney general has told the court that the government has failed to implement sanctions against draft dodgers, and the IDF has alleged that the Israel Police is systematically blocking army efforts to arrest evaders in Haredi neighborhoods.

Bennett closed his address with a political warning. “These are the last days of this government,” he said. “They’ll pay for this plunder at the ballot box.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)