ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ousted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and army chief Herzi Halevi to pave the way for legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from mandatory military service, new recordings revealed on Wednesday.

“We need to save not only the State of Israel, but also the Torah world – and that is something I deeply believe in,” Netanyahu said in recordings of a private conversation with a senior rabbi and aired by Israeli Channel 13.

The premier explained that passing the exemption law required “time to pass the law properly, in a way that cannot be challenged,” but faced “enormous obstacles” from Gallant and Halevi.

“When the defense minister is against you and the chief of staff is against you, you can’t move forward. Now we can move forward,” he said.

Netanyahu also disclosed taking direct control of the legislative process, telling the rabbi he spoke “about 20 times” with Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to push for more discussions.

He claimed the military is now creating pathways to integrate ultra-Orthodox recruits while preserving their Haredi lifestyle, ensuring they “enter as Haredim and leave as Haredim,” not becoming secular.

“Because we replaced the chief of staff and the defense minister – who had blocked this throughout the entire period – we can now move forward with greater security and professionalism,” Netanyahu said.

The recordings come amid threats by ultra-Orthodox parties to undermine Netanyahu’s coalition government over conscription of Haredi Jews, a crisis putting Israel on track for early elections.

According to Israeli media, Haredi rabbis instructed religious parties to withdraw from Netanyahu’s coalition government due to the stalemate in passing legislation exempting Haredi Jews from mandatory military service.

The ultra-Orthodox community has been protesting the draft law since the Israeli Supreme Court ruled last June that they must enlist. The ruling also bars financial support for religious institutions whose students refuse to serve.

Haredim account for about 13% of Israel’s 10 million citizens. They oppose military service on religious grounds, arguing that studying the Torah is their primary duty and that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and community cohesion.

For decades, Haredi men have received repeated draft deferments on the basis of religious studies until they reach the exemption age, currently set at 26.

The Israeli opposition has accused Netanyahu of attempting to pass legislation exempting Haredim from service to satisfy coalition partners and avoid a government collapse.

Halevi stepped down last March, while Gallant was dismissed by Netanyahu in November 2024.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.