Israel Katz heads the Defense Ministry during one of Israel's most critical periods, with three active fronts. Instead of confronting those challenges, he has embraced populism that disparages the IDF while defending Haredi draft dodgersSami Peretz05:49 AM • July 26 2026 IDTAt the height of the protests against the judicial overhaul in 2023, when reservists began circulating petitions threatening to stop volunteering for military service, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if he thought those reservists should be ousted. He ruled immediately: No. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel KatzIDF refuseniksIDFIsraeli politicsBenjamin NetanyahuOctober 7DemocratsCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesTrumpEisenkotMamdani-NetanyahuPalestinian AuthorityLindsey GrahamIsrael ElectionsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastChoosing Pathetic Populism, Defense Minister Katz Shows Contempt for the IDFFriday's West Bank Pogroms Show Yair Golan is Another Ultranationalist GeneralHow Arab Party Leader Mansour Abbas Changed Israel's Political GameEnd the Hasbara Campaigns: Israel Needs Accountability Not More Public RelationsIDF Bars Palestinians From West Bank Settlements for the Coming DaysRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAs Ground Invasion Looms, U.S. and Iran Want Wild-card Israel Out of the FightThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeBetween Messi and Milei: How Argentina Became Israel's Team at the World Cup'Choose Hope': Natalie Portman Backs Arab-Jewish Party Ahead of Israeli ElectionAn Israeli Election Surprise Called the DemocratsEd Miliband, the U.K.'s New Foreign Secretary – and His History With Israel