Speaking in an interview with Radio Kol Chai, Malul drew a firm line regarding the ongoing battle over the draft status of bnei yeshiva and made clear that the issue would determine whether chareidi parties enter a government at all.
“We will not form a coalition and we will not enter any government until the status of yeshiva students is resolved once and for all through a fortified and robust law,” Malul said.
Malul also painted a grim picture of the current political atmosphere in the Knesset, describing the sense that the government may be nearing collapse.
“It is the end of an era,” he said, adding that “inside the coalition, everyone is talking about dissolving the Knesset.”
Addressing the recent arrests of yeshiva students, Malul accused authorities and political opponents of waging an aggressive campaign against the Torah world under the guise of military concerns.
“There is a wild persecution happening here. People in this country simply want to dismantle the Torah world – they don’t care about the army or security; their sole objective is to ensure there are no Torah scholars here,” he said.
Malul also blasted efforts to impose financial penalties and economic sanctions on yeshiva students, arguing that the measures are designed to pressure avreichim into abandoning Torah learning.
“They think that if they suffocate the married yeshiva students financially, they will abandon the yeshivas and forget their identity. The tighter they squeeze, the louder the charedi public will cry out, and the more they will flock to the ballot boxes,” Malul said.
