Nearly a week after Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Boaz Bismuth presented the controversial military draft exemption bill, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on it. On Tuesday morning, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said Netanyahu would speak soon; by evening, his office announced he would deliver a statement on the matter — only to cancel it just seven minutes before it was scheduled to air.
At 6:01 p.m., the Prime Minister’s Office unexpectedly announced Netanyahu would make a special statement to the press, specifically regarding the divisive draft exemption bill. This raised immediate speculation, as Netanyahu had until now remained silent on the legislation, maintaining strategic ambiguity that allowed both coalition opponents and ultra-Orthodox parties to continue negotiating in hopes their positions would be reflected in the final bill.
Shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement, opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid said they too would issue statements, creating a highly competitive media moment. By 8:03 p.m., Netanyahu’s office cancelled his recorded statement, citing "scheduling conflicts." However, at the time, Netanyahu was in a pre-scheduled meeting with Transportation Minister Miri Regev to discuss the state budget and economic arrangements bill, casting doubt on the scheduling explanation.
Some speculated the cancellation stemmed from internal miscommunication in Netanyahu’s team. Others, particularly in the opposition, claimed Netanyahu got cold feet, fearing backlash from both Haredi factions and public opposition from active military personnel. Lapid accused him of running away from the issue, saying, “Bibi ran away. This retreat is a clear message to coalition members: this law cannot be defended, and it will not pass.” Bennett, by contrast, made no mention of the cancellation in his own remarks.
Sources in Likud suggested security concerns may have influenced Netanyahu’s decision not to turn the draft bill into a major political event. Regardless, the precise reasons remain unclear.