Haredi

Israel’s election campaign lacks substance, fresh leadership, and vision - opinion

From national security to the haredi draft, Israel’s most pressing challenges have received little serious attention from candidates seeking to lead the country.

|ByDAVID M. WEINBERG
Voters casting ballots in Israel's 25th Knesset election
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walk near an electoral banner for the Reservist-Economic Party led by Yoaz Hendel (R) and Yaron Zelekha (L) in Bnei Barak, near Tel Aviv, October 18, 2026

Yoaz Hendel: Reservists are the key to breaking Israel’s political deadlock - opinion

We cannot go backward – we cannot afford more rounds of elections or to abandon the prospect of change. Voting for “the largest party” is effectively a vote for yet another election.

|ByYOAZ HENDEL
(Illustrative) A man casts his ballot at a voting station on the morning of the municipal elections, in Ashdod, February 27, 2024

Israel’s election must be about repairing society after October 7 - opinion

The silent majority of the Israeli public must step up and choose tikkun – the repair of society to make it better – and ensure that our heroic soldiers will not have died in vain.

|ByYITZ GREENBERG
Ultra-Orthodox protester holding a sign reading "Either Haredi or the army" during an anti-draft protest on Highway 4, October 8, 2026.

Haredi protesters block Highway 4 near Ra'anana, Kfar Saba over draft dodger arrest

Police have deemed the demonstration illegal and are on the scene directing traffic to alternative routes, clearing the road, and restoring public order.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israel’s second War of Independence: The end of strategic illusions - opinion

Israel needs a government capable of combining military power with diplomatic judgment and building regional alliances.

AUGUST 24, 2026ByILAN MOR
A PLENUM session at the Knesset.

Shas invokes IDF soldiers in election campaign ad, drawing Gadi Eisenkot's ire

The Shas campaign video features a family gathered for a Shabbat dinner before a son returns home from his army base and embraces his family members.

AUGUST 23, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026.

'Malchieli is a murderer!' Shas condemns protests against MK over haredi draft law

Malchieli has stated that yeshiva students should be able to defer service as long as Torah study is their occupation, and recently said he would "not ask for a collective exemption for haredim."

AUGUST 23, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Shas MK Michael Malchieli attends a conference for West Bank sovereignty at the Knesset, July 21, 2025.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds

National-Religious men were found to have increased in service substantially from the start of the war until 2025, while the participation of secular men decreased the most of any group.

AUGUST 23, 2026ByJONAH DAVIDOV
THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

Haredi protesters block Jerusalem cafe amid ongoing months-long dispute over Shabbat opening

This marks the eighth consecutive week of protests. Several MKs, including Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, have joined counterprotests in previous weeks.

AUGUST 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026.

IDF arrests three Palestinian suspects related to attack on Jewish West Bank hikers

Following the attack, Israeli settlers started a fire in one of the village's homes, according to Army Radio, with a 65-year-old Palestinian evacuated due to smoke inhalation.

AUGUST 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF soldiers operate in the village of Tell, near the West Bank city of Nablus, July 25, 2026; Illustrative.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef to lead Shas, participate in launch conference with Deri's approval - report

Shas is expected to win seven seats in the upcoming October elections, according to a KAN poll published on Wednesday.

AUGUST 20, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, during a weekly teaching at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2025.

A-G calls for renewed arrests of haredi draft dodgers, says enforcement gap hurts IDF enlistment

Military officials said the enforcement gap stems largely from fewer arrests, since prosecutions generally begin only after draft evaders are detained or report to military facilities.

AUGUST 20, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector has been protesting over the attempts to draft young haredi men into the military.

Terrorism-supporting signs, inciting items confiscated from Mea She'arim warehouses

Such operations are not uncommon in Israel, with security forces confiscating inciting materials at the UAWC's Ramallah and Hebron offices in December.

AUGUST 18, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Signs and other items inciting and supporting terrorism were confiscated in Jerusalem's haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhood of Mea She’arim, according to the Israel Police, August 18, 2026.

Suspect arrested for allegedly vandalizing Basimta cafe during protests against its Shabbat opening

According to the police, the suspect is thought to have vandalized the cafe with graffiti, thrown garbage at it, and damaged the cafe's lock.

AUGUST 18, 2026ByTZVI JASPER
Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026.