A new agreement between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael ahead of Israel’s 2026 elections includes a firm commitment that yeshiva bochurim must receive a complete exemption from IDF service without any sanctions, marking a significant hardening of Degel HaTorah’s position on the contentious draft issue.
According to the agreement, first reported Monday by B’Chadrei Chareidim, United Torah Judaism’s position in future coalition negotiations will be that any yeshiva bochur engaged in Torah study should be exempt from military service, with no personal sanctions imposed.
The provision represents a notable shift for Degel HaTorah, which had previously participated in negotiations over proposed draft legislation that included various personal sanctions. Those discussions were aimed in part at producing legislation that could survive scrutiny by Israel’s courts.
Under the new agreement, the two factions are now presenting a unified and considerably tougher position: an exemption for bnei yeshivos without sanctions.
The agreement goes further, establishing restrictions on UTJ’s participation in both the Knesset and government until legislation formally regulating the status of those whose Torah study is their full-time occupation is enacted.
Until such legislation passes, UTJ will not support legislation in the Knesset, except in specific cases authorized by the Gedolei Yisrael.
The agreement also states that UTJ representatives will not serve as government ministers, deputy ministers or chairmen of Knesset committees until the status of bnei yeshivos is formally secured in law.
The development effectively brings Degel HaTorah into line with Agudas Yisrael’s more stringent position on the draft issue and could have significant implications for coalition negotiations following the 2026 election.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
4 Responses
Kudos to this new agreement between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael & let maira baharav spend the upcoming תשליך jumping into the lake &/or sea along with her numerous Aveiros
The demand should be that Hareidim who refuse to serve in the IDF be treated the same as Palestinian Arabs who though citizens of Israel, refuse to serve in the IDF. The would mean accepting some cuts in financial benefits from the Israeli welfare state, and significant job discrimination (from state and non-Hareidi private employers).–The Hareidi political leadership should support any policies that make peace more likely (which is a problem since many Hareidi Baal ha-Batim support the militaristic policies of the Zionist “right” wing nationalists).
This is a logical position pre-election. It’s a matter of give and take, so no need to show one’s hand before. I do think there needs to be besides the compromise on the draft (as far as exemptions or national service etc.) a very clear and legally binding legislation to guarantee religious practice in the army, which the Dati Leumi community would also appreciate. It seems this a widespread issue and there also appears to be very few actual spots for a fully charedi solider…so it is sort of a mockery to discuss who is going when there are no serious attempt to make spots that work for charedim.
stam> This is a logical position pre-election … there are no serious attempt to make spots that work for charedim.
as I hear from non/anti-charedi politicians, they (and their voters) have no trust that any compromise will be implemented. So, you need to start being proactive to restore the trust. Instead of asking for “spots”, why not develop some volunteer units in appropriate fields – cooks, drivers, cyber, snipers – all of them can serve b’tahora … army should be happy to integrate those. See how in neighboring Suria, various militias are being integrated into main army. If they can do it after shooting at each other …