At a gathering held Thursday evening in honor of United Hatzalah volunteers in Bnei Brak, MK Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, delivered a fiery speech targeting Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara following her announcement of new enforcement measures aimed at yeshiva students who do not enlist in the army.
Addressing the volunteers, Gafni praised them as the true servants of Israeli society. “You are living proof that the chareidim serve, assist, and help all the citizens of Israel,” he said, lauding their selfless dedication to saving lives.
Turning to the Attorney General, Gafni’s tone turned scathing. “She’s putting up roadblocks — well, she can forget about that,” he declared. “She wants us to speak out against her so that if they try to fire her, she’ll be able to claim she’s the one standing up to the chareidim. That’s what she’s really interested in. It’s a disgrace to the State that this woman is the Attorney General.”
Then, with biting sarcasm, Gafni added, “But one thing’s for certain — if, Heaven forbid, she’s ever in an accident, it’ll be the chareidim from United Hatzalah who save her. We don’t keep score.”
His remarks came in the wake of Baharav-Miara’s endorsement of a new IDF draft enforcement plan targeting yeshiva bochurim. In a statement issued by her office, the Attorney General welcomed the military’s enforcement efforts, saying, “The Attorney General commends the progress made in formulating this year’s draft enforcement plan and the IDF’s policy to increase enforcement in the immediate term.”
She stated that “the number of recruits in the past year does not meet the security needs, the commitments of the State, or the value of equality.” The statement added that enforcement would be carried out “equitably across all sectors, with particular attention to shortening the time until draft orders are issued and until draft dodgers are formally declared — to enable quicker use of enforcement tools.”
The plan also includes a one-time opportunity for draft dodgers from all sectors to enlist without being arrested. Those who report for duty will begin regular service immediately and, if they complete one full year of proper service and meet additional conditions, their charges will be commuted and replaced with a suspended sentence.
Further steps outlined include a follow-up meeting to assess implementation, including updates on IDF activity at border crossings, proactive enforcement actions, and details regarding the expansion of detention facilities.
Due to gaps in coordination between the Education Ministry and the IDF regarding transfer of information on draft-eligible students, another meeting — headed by the Deputy Attorney General — will be held to address and resolve the issue.
The meeting summary will be forwarded to the Defense Minister’s office, emphasizing the importance of expanding the tools available to enforce the draft on those evading service.
To finalize the government’s legal response to court challenges, officials were instructed to expedite efforts to complete a comprehensive draft affidavit, including specific details about the enforcement plan, criteria for identifying draft dodgers, and IDF enforcement activities — their scope and frequency — particularly at Israel’s borders.

{Matzav.com Israel}