Key PointsMen in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community have historically received exemptions from military service.The High Court decision comes as Israel continuess its attacks on Gaza and prepares for potential fighting in Lebanon.Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13 percent of Israel’s population of nearly 10 million.
Israel’s top court has ruled unanimously that the state must draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into military service.
It has also ordered the state to stop funding yeshivas — religious educational institutions — whose students evade military service.
The issue of military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Israelis has resurfaced in the country’s society in the nearly nine months since its war in Gaza started.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists have been deployed to Gaza, the occupied West Bank and along the northern border with Lebanon since militants led by Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023.
Israeli’s government divided on ultra-Orthodox drafting
The court’s ruling could undermine the stability of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which is divided over the issue.
Netanyahu heads a coalition that includes two ultra-Orthodox parties — vehemently opposed to a military draft for yeshiva students — along with religious ultranationalist factions.
Ultra-Orthodox politician Yitzhak Goldknopf, United Torah Judaism party leader, criticised what he called “an expected but very unfortunate and disappointing decision”.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli military reservists have been deployed to Gaza since October 2023. Source: AAP / Christophe Petit Tesson
Shas, a religious party that is one of the largest partners in the ruling coalition, also slammed the court ruling.
“No arbitrary ruling will abolish the society of Torah learners in the land of Israel, which is the branch on which we all sit,” Shas chief Aryeh Deri said in a statement.
But opposition politicians welcomed the ruling.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said it meant “no more exemptions”, calling on the defence ministry “to uphold the law and issue tens of thousands of draft orders for young … men who evaded military service until now”.
Israeli Labor Party chairman Yair Golan said on social media platform X that the court had issued “a just decision”.
Critics say the bill, which has not yet passed committee and requires two parliamentary votes to become law, falls short of the military’s needs in the wake of the 7 October attack.
Some members of Netanyahu’s party have stated they will vote against the draft bill in its current form.
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