United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf on Sunday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, calling it “good news.” At the same time, he urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers currently imprisoned by the Israeli military.
“I ask you to act immediately and release them from prison before the holiday begins, so that they too can celebrate Sukkot with their families,” Goldknopf wrote in a letter to Netanyahu.
1 View gallery
Yitzhak Goldknopf next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS)
Goldknopf, who leads the Hasidic faction within United Torah Judaism, commended Netanyahu for his efforts to bring home the hostages. “You are fulfilling the mitzvah of redeeming captives and returning them to their families and to the entire nation — against all odds,” he wrote. “As you said yesterday in your address to the nation, ‘With God’s help, this will happen very soon.’ We pray together with all of Israel that we will see their return by this Sukkot, our festival of joy, and bring comfort and hope to the people of Zion.”
Turning to the expected release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences as part of the emerging hostage deal, Goldknopf wrote, “The deal carries an unbearable price — the release of terrorists with blood on their hands who are serving sentences for murder, leaving behind hundreds of bereaved families and thousands of wounded.” He added, “These prisoners are being freed out of necessity, but it is your responsibility to ensure they never again pose a threat to the State of Israel.”
In closing, Goldknopf reiterated his appeal to release ultra-Orthodox men arrested for desertion from military service. “I wish to remind you of those fine Torah scholars who were hunted down by the enforcement authorities for the ‘crime’ of studying Torah, and who are now sitting — God forbid — in Israeli prisons during our most sacred holidays,” he wrote.
“I ask you to act immediately and release them before the holiday begins so they too can celebrate with their families. As you quoted in your speech, ‘Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother, be strong.’ I say the same to you, Mr. Prime Minister: Be strong and courageous against the evil forces that compel the Jewish state to imprison citizens whose only offense is their devotion to Torah study.”
The reservists’ political party issued a sharp response, saying, “Goldknopf and his associates call the State of Israel and the IDF ‘evil forces.’ The true evil is watching your brothers fight while you stand aside. The blood of your brothers cries out to you from the ground, Goldknopf! To save Israel after the war, we must ensure that anyone who does not serve will not make decisions for the country — will not vote or be elected to the Knesset.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the letter in a post on X, writing, “I have no expectations from Goldknopf — he genuinely believes that draft dodgers are like the hostages. It’s simply shameful. My problem is with this unholy alliance of Smotrich, Netanyahu and Goldknopf, which is now raising hundreds of thousands of children with the same distorted anti-Zionist worldview. My problem is with the so-called ‘Zionist’ parties that back this disgraceful evasion out of political or personal interests. Very soon, we will replace this group — this government of failure and decay — and open a new, extraordinary chapter for the people of Israel.”