Ofer Winter rejects Goldknopf's demand for universal yeshiva student IDF draft exemption

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, chairman of the People of Israel party, on Monday rejected United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf's demand for a universal military draft exemption for yeshiva students. Winter, who released his party's Knesset slate earlier the same day, stated, "Not everyone who wears black and white studies Torah," and emphasized that "there will be no government without regulating the status of those who serve." He called for an end to "deceiving the public," arguing that the current system harms genuine Torah students. Winter asserted that in the future, Haredim will integrate into the IDF and national service, with benefits tied to contribution, concluding, "What was - will not be." His party's slate submission closed the door on a merger with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party, despite calls from Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for right-wing parties to unite.