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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against attempts to change government policy that grants ultra-Orthodox Jews exemptions from military conscription, in Jerusalem April 11, 2024.
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary studentsmust be drafted into the military like any other citizens. This ends the exemptions that young Israeli men registered in full-time religious study have enjoyed for decades. In the past, about 1,200 ultra-Orthodox have volunteered for service per year, but63,000 yeshiva students are now eligible for conscription. The IDF doesn’t publish its numbers, but an estimated 170,000 Israelis are now serving.
Israeli men and women are expected to serve in the military, and the court made clear that the current war has made the ultra-Orthodox exemption untenable. “These days, in the midst of a difficult war, the burden of that inequality is more acute than ever — and requires the advancement of a sustainable solution to this issue,” the nine judges wrote.
What’s next? This ruling creates an immediate problem for Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister’s government depends on the support of two ultra-Orthodox political parties. But the ruling did not mandate how many yeshiva students would be drafted or when, and this loophole could allow Netanyahu to greenlight the conscription process with a signal that it will move forward slowly. Still, many politicians and citizens will refuse to accept the decision, and we’ll be watching for possible political and community confrontations.