Israeli Minister Dudi Amsalem spoke Sunday about the ongoing controversy surrounding the Draft Law, forcefully defending the olam haTorah and accusing opponents of unfairly targeting the chareidi tzibbur with what he described as exaggerated and unrealistic claims.

Speaking at the Association of Municipal Corporations conference in Eilat, Amsalem stressed the central role of Torah learning in the existence of Klal Yisroel and compared the contribution of lomdei Torah to that of soldiers fighting on the front lines in Gaza.

“Without the Torah, there is no Nation of Israel. I view anyone who studies Torah as contributing no less than a soldier currently fighting in Gaza. There is no difference between them. The IDF has a surplus of combat soldiers in whom billions have been invested – yet the military allows itself to be dragged along by the toxic rhetoric of the left. If all the haredim were to enlist tomorrow, the left would be protesting at Kaplan Square shouting ‘don’t draft them,'” Amsalem said.

He then launched a harsh attack against the Israeli left, blaming it for deepening divisions within the country.

“We have been through four horrific, terrible years, and I have come to the conclusion that the left in Israel is the most violent and anti-democratic element in the country,” he said.

Addressing the issue of judicial reform and the coalition’s plans moving forward, Amsalem said the government intends to continue pressing ahead with the legislation despite opposition.

“There are three or four million David Zinis in this country. The same goes for [Roman] Gofman. We will pass the reform by both force and intellect,” he stated.

Amsalem also offered his prediction regarding the timing of the next elections, saying he believes Israelis will likely head to the polls shortly after the Yomim Noraim if the current political timetable remains unchanged.

“The elections will take place after the Yomim Noraim, if they are held on schedule. A month here or there doesn’t matter. In my opinion, it will be sometime in September,” he said.

{Matzav.com}