A growing political battle within the chareidi camp erupted on Monday after reports revealed that Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has been quietly spearheading an effort to halt the arrests of yeshiva bochurim over military draft issues, triggering a sharp public clash with Housing Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf and senior Shas officials.

The controversy began after a report disclosed that Deri has spent the past two weeks advancing a legislative proposal aimed at ending the arrests of bnei yeshiva while broader negotiations over the draft law continue.

Responding to the revelation, Goldknopf issued a strongly worded statement dismissing the initiative and expressing deep skepticism toward the government’s intentions.

“We are tired of the tricks and gimmicks designed to generate headlines and spin, and nothing more,” Goldknopf said. “What the government failed to do over the past four years, it certainly will not do now. We woke up long ago and have no trust.”

Goldknopf added that his party would continue following the directives of the gedolim and push ahead with efforts to dissolve the Knesset.

“As Gedolei Yisrael instructed us, we will insist on bringing the bill to dissolve the Knesset as early as Wednesday,” he said.

The comments sparked an angry response from Shas MK Michael Malkieli, who accused Goldknopf’s camp of opposing the proposal solely because Deri was behind it.

“When the journalist close to your camp published today that this move was being led by the prime minister together with the Belzer Rebbe and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, you remained silent and did not utter a single word of criticism,” Malkieli charged. “But when you saw reports that the person leading this plan for the past two weeks is Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, you suddenly attacked the only proposal that can currently stop the arrests of Torah learners.”

Malkieli went further, accusing Goldknopf and his allies of placing politics ahead of the welfare of thousands of yeshiva students.

“Are you prepared to endanger 80,000 yeshiva bochurim who are currently at risk of arrest simply because of ego and a battle over credit? How far will jealousy take you?” he asked.

According to the report, Deri approached Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs approximately two weeks ago with a proposal designed to address what has become the most urgent issue facing the chareidi leadership: the arrests of yeshiva students who fail to comply with draft requirements.

Under the plan, the draft legislation currently being discussed in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee would be split in two. A temporary one-year measure would immediately pass the law’s transitional provisions, preserving economic sanctions while suspending the arrest process.

Sources say Deri has been in contact with Fuchs over the past several days, urging the government to move quickly on the proposal. Supporters argue that such a step could defuse mounting tensions on the streets and prevent further demonstrations and unrest.

The proposed temporary legislation would address only the issue of arrests and would leave the existing financial sanctions in place, setting up what is becoming an increasingly bitter dispute within the chareidi political leadership over how best to confront the draft crisis.