Against the backdrop of the draft-exemption bill that has stirred opposition even within the coalition, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Boaz Bismuth said Sunday that the legislation is “the smartest and fairest thing this country has seen, and it makes history.” Speaking at the victory event in Yeruham for local council head Nili Aharon after her win in the Likud conference elections, Bismuth added, “Those who study Torah deserve our respect because this is a Jewish state, and those who don’t serve in the army.”
“The Torah brought me here, and the army protects me here,” he said. “These are two wonderful values that go together, and we won’t separate them. What’s the problem? That Likud is doing exactly that. In Likud, the public is sovereign. Likud voters are smart, want what’s best for the people and always think about the future.”
Transportation Minister Miri Regev also attended the event and backed her party colleague. “Boaz is sitting there taking hits even from the coalition over a law that, for the first time, will bring haredim into the army, make them part of the effort and carry the stretcher,” she said, referring to the criticism from Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel. She praised Bismuth, saying, “Boaz, don’t pay attention to the voices inside the coalition trying to speak against this. You’re pushing it through beautifully. On the one hand you allow Torah study as a full-time pursuit, and on the other you let others share the burden.”
As the next elections draw nearer, Regev added that “Netanyahu will be Israel’s next prime minister. Let that be clear to everyone, despite all the attempts to bring us down through the attorney general and the prosecution. He asked for a pardon not because he doubts he’ll be acquitted, but because he understood it’s the only way to free Israeli society from a trial that never should have begun. Those who stitched up the cases against him will stand trial.”
Other Likud members also arrived, including Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said, “We will not allow threats against residents of the north — not from Syria, not from Gaza. We will dismantle all of Hamas’ capabilities.”
Katz said the government had “achieved something close to a miracle. We managed to return all the hostages alive, and another one is on the way. Our policy is clear: the IDF protects communities and borders. There will be no threats we don’t address. Those days are over.”
He added, “It’s good we have a prime minister like Netanyahu who can stand as an equal with the president of the United States, persuade and lead. To the point that the U.S. came, joined the effort and also struck Iran’s nuclear facilities. Some commentators say one thing and the opposite happens. If we had listened to them, we’d be fighting for our survival in central Tel Aviv.”