Miki Zohar: "The sanctions against the Haredim remind me of the Inquisition"

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar compared personal sanctions against Haredim to the persecution of Spanish Jews during the Inquisition. In an interview with Reshet Bet, Zohar said it is persecution of a Jewish public that studies Torah. His remarks were made against the backdrop of the dispute over the conscription law and the arrests of yeshiva students, including the detention of about 50 young Chabad followers at Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of desertion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke out against the arrests, but emphasized that those who do not study Torah must enlist. His remarks drew criticism from Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Lieberman. In the background, data presented to the Attorney General shows that about 57,000 Haredim are defined as draft dodgers from the IDF.