Will this election end the battle over drafting haredi men into the Israeli army? - analysis
In a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, a proposition that the next government should draft haredim equally received the most support among a series of propositions.
The battle over conscripting Haredi men into the Israeli military has intensified following Hamas' recent attacks in October 2023. As a result, hundreds of thousands of reservists have been called upon for longer periods, with some serving up to four extra months, causing significant strain on their families and the economy. The ultra-Orthodox community believes that military service provides spiritual protection for the Jewish state, fearing that conscription might lead to abandonment of their way of life by secular and modern Orthodox Jews.
In Israel, most Jewish males and females are subject to compulsory service at age 18. Men serve for 32 months, while women typically serve for 24 months, with some roles requiring longer service. Conscripts can usually defer service for a year or two to attend pre-military programs, and exemptions are possible for medical, religious, family, or other legally recognized reasons.
Druze and Circassian men are generally drafted, while Israeli Arabs are rarely drafted. Conscripts who ignore draft orders face severe sanctions, including imprisonment.
Upon completing compulsory service, most soldiers enter reserve units and are called up periodically for training and active duty during wartime. Reserve duty is mandatory until age 40 for non-officers and 45 for officers. Enforcing call-ups for reservists is generally less stringent than enforcing compulsory service, with rare sanctions against reservists who avoid call-ups.
After the war began on October 7, 2023, up to 28% of male reservists and 20% of female reservists served for over 150 days. Currently, the IDF policy permits up to 55 days of reserve duty per year for combat soldiers, compared to an average of 18 days per year (54 days over three years) prior to the conflict.
Haredi individuals are not legally exempt from IDF service. Historically, a small number of full-time yeshiva students could delay service until they aged out of eligibility, effectively exempting them. However, given the growing Haredi population, legal challenges to their exemption based on inequality arose. Since June 2023, there are no legal exemptions for Haredi men, who must enlist in the military just like non-Haredi men.
Most Haredi individuals oppose IDF service, although some modernizing groups appear more open to it. Haredi officials and spiritual leaders argue that Torah study in place of military service offers an important spiritual defense for the Jewish state. Simultaneously, community leaders are concerned that IDF service might challenge their Haredi lifestyle.
Historically, the draft exemption for Haredi men began in 1948 when Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion granted exemption to approximately 400 yeshiva students to preserve Torah scholarship after the Holocaust. This exemption gradually expanded until, by the 2020s, tens of thousands of draft-age Haredi men avoided military service. Opposition to the exemption grew significantly in the 1980s and 1990s as the Haredi IDF exemption expanded.
Legal challenges were initially dismissed by the court but eventually succeeded, leading to the Supreme Court's ruling in 1998 that the exemption was illegal and required legislative support for equality. From 2002 to 2023, various legislative and policy proposals aimed at increasing Haredi enlistment were introduced, but all were ultimately struck down by the court due to inequality concerns.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
