Ultra-orthodox Israeli minister dances to anti-Zionist song, unites coalition and opposition seeking his ouster

An ultra-Orthodox Israeli cabinet minister has provoked rare unity across Israel’s bitterly divided political spectrum, with members of both government and opposition calling for his dismissal after he was filmed dancing to an anti-Zionist song at a family wedding.

Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party and a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, was caught on video joining in with young men singing a controversial song rejecting the legitimacy of the Israeli state and military.

The lyrics– widely circulated in footage posted online– declared: “don’t believe in the government of infidels,” and included the line: “We will die and not enlist,” a direct rejection of military service, according to a report by Times of Israel .

The song, originally linked to the anti-Zionist Haredi sect Neturei Karta, has recently gained popularity in some ultra-Orthodox circles, igniting broader public debate.

Haredi-Zionist differences behind the controversy

Neturei Karta believe that the exile of the Jews can end only with the arrival of the Messiah, and that human attempts to establish Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel are sinful. In Neturei Karta’s view, Zionism is a presumptuous affront against God.

Zionism, on the other hand, is a movement for the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

Many ultra-Orthodox men dedicate their lives to full-time Torah study in yeshivas, which they view as a sacred duty essential for the spiritual protection of the Jewish people.

Military service is also seen as incompatible with the ultra-Orthodox way of life, which emphasizes strict adherence to religious laws and separation from secular influences.

The Israeli High Court ruled last year that the longstanding blanket exemption for ultra-orthodox Jews to avoid military conscription lacks legal basis. At the same time, the Attorney General has moved to withhold daycare subsidies from families whose fathers refuse to enlist.

Opponents call for Goldknopf’s resignation

The fallout from the video has been swift and unusually unified.

“A minister who jumps up [to dance] against the State of Israel should have been fired this evening,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Benny Gantz, head of the centre-right National Unity party and a former defence minister, also condemned Goldknopf’s actions saying “it is subversion from within the government that is harming the State of Israel,” demanding not just the minister’s removal, but enforcement of enlistment orders for ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers.

“Any other message is a spit in the faces of IDF soldiers. Only a Zionist consensus government will save Israel’s security,” Gantz said.

Goldknopf’s participation in the celebration—which he claims was unintentional—has deepened the fissures within Israel’s coalition government, drawing sharp rebukes from his own political allies.

Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister and a fellow coalition partner, called the incident “a shame and a disgrace.”

“We can no longer remain silent in the face of Minister Goldknopf’s indifference, disdain and ungratefulness toward the State of Israel and the heroic IDF fighters,” he said. “I demand that the prime minister […] set a red line for him.”

Likud lawmaker Moshe Saada echoed the sentiment: “Dear Minister Goldknopf, you don’t believe in the government of infidels? Then have it your way and step down from your prestigious and rewarding position in the same government you don’t believe in.”

Allies also hit out at Goldknopf

Even members of Goldknopf’s broader ideological camp expressed outrage. MK Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism party accused him of having “gone completely off the rails.”

Goldknopf, in response, issued an apology, insisting he had not endorsed the message of the song and only remained at the wedding out of respect for the groom and his family.

“Unfortunately, some people have taken advantage of this for incitement, as if I agree with the content of the song. So here it is: I disavow and condemn it,” he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu refrained from dismissing his ally, instead praising Goldknopf for later disavowing the song– an intervention unlikely to placate critics.