Bennett Vows to Bar Draft Dodgers from his Cabinet
Former PM Naftali Bennett vows to bar draft dodgers from his cabinet with the proposed "Deri Law," a condition for joining his next government.
Jerusalem, 6 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has vowed to prevent anyone who evaded IDF service or encouraged draft evasion from serving in Israel’s next cabinet, calling the proposed measure the “Deri Law.”
Bennett said his Beyachad party would make the legislation a condition for joining the Next government, arguing that those who send Israelis into battle must understand the burden of military service.
The plan has drawn some ridicule in Haredi circles because its namesake, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, is not a draft dodger. Deri enlisted in the IDF in 1986 and served three months in a shortened military service. Nevertheless, Bennett has separately asserted that Deri and former United Torah Judaism chairman Moshe Gafni would not join a government led by him.