Agudas Yisroel chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf has declared that his party will not automatically support Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in forming the next Israeli government, even if the right-wing and chareidi parties secure a 61-seat majority in the upcoming elections.

Goldknopf is demanding written commitments addressing the status of yeshiva students and the military draft controversy before agreeing to recommend Netanyahu for another term as prime minister.

The position, outlined in an interview published Thursday, underscores the continuing importance of the draft issue within Agudas Yisroel as Israel approaches Election Day.

Goldknopf made clear that the arithmetic of a potential coalition would not, by itself, be sufficient to secure his party’s support. He wants binding political assurances concerning the future of yeshiva students and the protection of Torah study.

The dispute over military conscription has dominated relations between the chareidi parties and Netanyahu’s government, particularly following court decisions and enforcement measures affecting yeshiva students who have not enlisted.

For Agudas Yisroel, the question is whether a future coalition agreement would provide sufficiently clear commitments to address those concerns.

Goldknopf’s insistence on written guarantees reflects the party’s reluctance to rely solely on verbal promises or general declarations of support for the yeshiva world.

The dispute also reflects a deeper breakdown in trust between Ger and Netanyahu over commitments made during previous coalition negotiations.

Goldknopf has previously recounted that the Gerer Rebbe instructed him to obtain a concrete guarantee that legislation protecting the status of yeshiva students would actually be enacted.

During those negotiations, Netanyahu offered Goldknopf ministerial responsibilities, but Goldknopf later said that the Gerer Rebbe had wanted something more substantial than a government position as assurance that the draft issue would be resolved.

The legislation was never completed to the satisfaction of Agudas Yisroel’s leadership, and the controversy continued to intensify as yeshiva students faced mounting legal uncertainty and enforcement measures.

In a separate statement earlier in the campaign, Goldknopf accused Netanyahu of failing to seriously pursue a solution to the draft crisis and declared that his party would support only a future government that addresses the status of yeshiva and kollel students.

The issue has also contributed to tensions within United Torah Judaism itself, particularly between the Ger faction of Agudas Yisroel and the Degel HaTorah leadership.

In recent days, UTJ chairman Yaakov Asher has held discussions with Goldknopf and the Gerer Rebbe as party officials have attempted to resolve disagreements ahead of the elections.

The Gerer Rebbe has issued a call for his chassidim to support United Torah Judaism, although separate reports Thursday indicated that he was still declining to personally sign the traditional election proclamation of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.

Meanwhile, reports have suggested that Ger representatives may be prepared to abstain rather than oppose the establishment of a government headed by opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, illustrating the extent to which the movement is reconsidering its longstanding political alignment with Netanyahu.

Those reports have not established what Agudas Yisroel will ultimately do following the elections, when any coalition arrangement would still require approval from the party’s rabbinic leadership.

Goldknopf’s position nevertheless introduces an important qualification into the calculations surrounding a possible Netanyahu coalition: even if the parties traditionally associated with the prime minister collectively reach the required 61 seats, Agudas Yisroel’s participation cannot necessarily be assumed.

{Matzav.com}