Goldknopf Threatens National Upheaval If Yeshiva Students Are Arrested

Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah party, issued a stark warning on Sunday, saying the arrest of yeshiva students could trigger significant unrest within Israeli society. 

In an interview with Kikar HaShabbat, Goldknopf cautioned, “Society will not remain calm—there may not be violence or blood, but it will not rest.”

Goldknopf took aim at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, accusing them of failing to deliver on promises made during the judicial reform push.

“They assured us the reform would solve the draft issue—through a Basic Law protecting Torah study and an override clause. In the end, we received nothing. We have failed,” he said.

Goldknopf resigned from the government in June 2025 over the stalled military exemption law, reaffirming his firm opposition to any legislation requiring ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students to serve in the military.

Tensions escalated last week when Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah—the two factions comprising Yahadut HaTorah—exited the governing coalition after the latest recruitment bill collapsed. Their move was backed by Rabbi Dov Landau, who denounced the bill as a betrayal of coalition commitments. Shas followed suit but stopped short of joining the opposition, instead calling for national unity around efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.

The collapse of ultra-Orthodox support has deepened the crisis facing Netanyahu’s government, raising questions about its stability in the coming weeks.