Data Refutes Goldknopf Claim on IDF Exemptions as Political Storm Erupts
UTJ Chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf claimed thousands of non-Haredi youths receive sports exemptions, but official data shows just 716 such exemptions were granted, sparking heavy political backlash from opposition parties.
United Torah Judaism Chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf claimed in a media interview that thousands of young people playing volleyball received military exemptions. However, data obtained from the Freedom of Information Association reveals that the IDF approved only 716 exemptions for outstanding non-Haredi youths this year.
According to the official figures for 2026, the military granted 591 exemptions to elite athletes, 74 to outstanding musicians, 31 to dancers, and 20 to active artists. Goldknopf asserted during the interview that there is no reason to draft Haredim, accusing Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the military of misrepresenting recruitment needs.
The remarks triggered a sharp political backlash. Gadi Eisenkot's party slammed the statements, stating that Goldknopf's detachment from reality and denial of the severe shortage of combat troops in the IDF is deeply alarming for every citizen.
"This is the natural partner of Netanyahu and Likud, with whom Netanyahu struck a disgraceful deal trading national security and our soldiers for political survival," Eisenkot's faction added. Meanwhile, "BeYachad" Chairman Naftali Bennett argued that while an anti-Zionist Haredi enclave has grown alongside the Zionist state, this reality will soon end.
"We will dismantle the anti-Zionist Haredi state and save Zionism," Bennett declared. "Our rule is simple: whoever does not serve the country will not receive a single shekel from the state. This is the only way to rescue Israel's economy and relieve our exhausted IDF soldiers."
