A proposal floated by a senior member of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party to exempt a significant percentage of Chareidi yeshiva bochurim from military service triggered sharp attacks Wednesday from other opposition leaders, exposing major divisions over how a future government would handle the draft issue.

Yoram Cohen, the former head of the Shin Bet and a member of Eisenkot’s party, discussed Yashar’s proposed framework during an interview with Kan Reshet Bet, saying it would permit exemptions for a portion of the Chareidi population.

“Gadi already said in our plan, up to 3% of the overall draft, which can sometimes reach up to 30% of the entire Chareidi population — who would be called exceptional scholars and the like,” Cohen said.

Cohen indicated that the exemptions might not be limited exclusively to outstanding yeshiva students, adding: “And perhaps other relevant groups besides exceptional scholars would also receive [an exemption].”

The comments quickly drew a furious response from former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Beyachad party, who declared that he would accept no such compromise in a future government.

“For us, there will be no compromises whatsoever on the draft — not 30% exemptions and not ‘frameworks,’” Bennett said. “There will be one simple rule: Not Zionist — not on my dime. Everyone is obligated to enlist, and whoever does not serve the country will not receive a single shekel from the state for the rest of his life.”

Bennett went further, describing the issue as a non-negotiable condition for joining the next government.

“The tens of billions that the draft dodgers received will be transferred to those who serve. That’s it. This is the only way to save the country, and therefore it is an ironclad condition for the next government. A government that does not draft Chareidim and fix Israel has no right to exist.”

Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party similarly rejected Cohen’s proposal, insisting that it would oppose exemptions even on a far smaller scale.

“In the next government, everyone will serve in the IDF. There will be no exemption — not for 30% and not for 3%,” the party said.

The public clash highlights a significant divide among parties seeking to form an alternative government, with Eisenkot’s party signaling support for at least some exemptions for Chareidi yeshiva students while Bennett and Liberman are publicly demanding a far more sweeping draft policy.

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