Shas party spokesman Asher Medina addressed the draft exemption law in an interview with the ynet studio, saying, "We saw leaks, not a law. When it is placed on the table, we will take it to the rabbis and they will decide. Yuli Edelstein deceived us for two years and at the moment of truth threw it in the trash. Today's rally says only one thing - we support Torah students." Regarding comparisons between detainees and hostages, he said, "The arrests cause chaos, we don't want to hurt families, we're not comparing. But if you push the ultra-Orthodox to extremes, persecute them and don't bring a real solution - in the end you see such phenomena that don't represent society as a whole."