Ultra-orthodox Israelis who refuse to participate in mandatory military service have been temporarily protected after the Knesset passed a bill banning their arrest.
Tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews, sometimes called Haredi, have refused conscription into the Israeli militia on religious grounds. Police have arrested many of these objectors, but they will temporarily be protected from the law. The bill passed the parliament with a vote of 58-54.
It comes despite massive opposition from Israel military leadership, with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir writing in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday that the bill is “clearly and unequivocally inconsistent with the IDF’s needs.”
“It is inconceivable that the military system under my command, which demands unprecedented sacrifice from its personnel, would be party to granting mass exemptions from prosecution,” Zamir said. “Such a move would create a deep rift with the serving force, which has borne the burden of the fighting for two and a half years, and would increase inequality.”
The bill protects Haredi draft dodgers until at least Nov. 30 and suspends the criminal prosecution against those already detained by law enforcement.
The legislation is expected to be prolonged even further because of the upcoming elections in Israel, which automatically extend temporary legislation by approximately four months.
It was passed by the governing coalition after United Torah Judaism party Chairman Moshe Gafni tabled the bill and refused to back any other coalition legislation until the exemptions were passed.
Netanyahu was present for part of the debate but did not stay for the vote. Defense Minister Israel Katz voted in favor of the bill. Both ministers’ appearances at the heated debate of the bill prompted outcries of “Shame!” from the opposition. Several members of Likud, Netanyahu’s party, defected and voted against the bill.
Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a nonprofit organization, has already filed a complaint to the High Court of Israel demanding that the legislation be overturned on constitutional grounds.
“A law that grants draft dodgers immunity from arrest is not the modest, temporary emergency measure it is being portrayed as,” the organization said in its petition. “Rather, it is an attempt to enshrine in legislation a reality in which the obligation to serve applies only to part of the public — while combat soldiers and reservists continue to shoulder the burden for a third consecutive year.”
It continued: “We have now petitioned the High Court of Justice to stop this discriminatory legislation, and we will not stop until one law applies equally to everyone. The time has come for genuine equality in bearing the burden.”
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The High Court previously ruled in 2024 that the government lacked a constitutional basis for the continued exemption of Haredim from military service, finding that conscription cannot be treated differently toward the various segments of Israeli society.
Porush has warned that any decision by the High Court to overturn the law would have “no legal validity,” threatening that if the military, police, and courts do not abide by the bill, it “will lead to civil rebellion on a scale never before seen.”
There are approximately 1.5 million ultra-orthodox Jews living in Israel. They make up approximately 15% of the population, and their explosive birth rates make them one of the fastest-growing ethnic populations in the world.