Netanyahu visits IDF haredi brigade in Jordan Valley

In a landmark visit symbolizing unity and progress, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the Jordan Valley this week to visit the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade the military’s first all-haredi combat unit. The prime minister, joined by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and senior defense officials, praised the soldiers for their unwavering commitment to both their faith and their nation.

Standing at Camp Tevetz, the brigade’s training base, Netanyahu met with commanders and young ultra-Orthodox soldiers who recently served in Gaza. “You see young haredi men who come here, enlist, and become excellent fighters,” he said. “They have already been to Gaza and fought with distinction.” With visible emotion, he honored the memory of those who fell in recent combat, including soldiers from the affiliated Netzah Yehuda battalion.

The Hasmonean Brigade marks a new chapter for Israel’s defense forces where faith and military service coexist. Netanyahu emphasized that these soldiers “come in as haredi and come out as haredi,” highlighting the IDF’s respect for their religious convictions. The brigade, he noted, is not a coercive framework, but a voluntary path for those who seek to serve their country while preserving their spiritual life.

Finance Minister Smotrich echoed the sentiment, calling the brigade “a success story” and a model for broader enlistment efforts within the ultra-Orthodox community. “We are determined to bring about, God willing, the enlistment of many thousands of haredi men, building trust through a determined and comprehensive process,” he said.

The visit also served as a platform to discuss regional threats, with Netanyahu asserting Israel’s resolve in Syria. “We will not allow a return to the situation where a second Lebanon is being established there,” he declared, reaffirming Israel’s strategic vigilance.

This historic visit to the Hasmonean Brigade stands as a testament to Israel’s dedication to inclusion, strength, and shared responsibility. In a time of national challenge, it is this unity of purpose religious and secular, young and old that continues to safeguard the Jewish homeland.

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