One source involved in the publication of the letter told Israel Hayom on Friday: "Before the Tal Law, the army used to summon haredim to recruitment offices to undergo initial screenings. In addition, [the IDF] also recorded their personal information and conducted additional tests to determine their fitness and where they could best serve the army. When the Tal Law came into effect, the army only conducted initial screenings of yeshiva students and maintained only a basic record on them, without additional details. As of Wednesday, we've been hearing from yeshiva students that the army has returned to the original framework and is now asking for a lot more information. The IDF is probably doing this because, in the event that it needs to draft the haredim, it will already have all their details on file, and therefore we have come out with this new directive."

The source added, "It's not an official war yet, as it looks like both sides are still trying to get a sense of the other's intentions. The rabbis have marked out their red line for the army, before the situation starts to deteriorate."

Meanwhile, the haredi press continued this weekend with its unyielding position against the conscription of haredim. One well-known columnist wrote in Friday's Hamodia, "Everyone knows full well that the dream of drafting yeshiva students is absurd to its very core; [there is] a gaping abyss between the secular and the observant, and both sides are responsible for its depth." The paper also said, "It is now clear to everyone that a yeshiva student cannot be integrated into the army. It is like trying to plant flowers on a glacier in the Antarctic."