Supreme Court: – Ultra-Orthodox must perform military service in Israel

63,000 men are affected by the new scheme. The nine judges in Jerusalem approved two petitions calling for the immediate conscription of ultra-Orthodox men subject to military service. “At the height of a harsh war, the burden of unequal burden sharing is greater than ever and requires a solution,” the ruling said. There is no legal basis for exempting ultra-Orthodox from military service.

Decades of exceptions
For decades, exceptions to military service existed for this group. However, they expired three months ago and Netanyahu’s government failed to pass a corresponding law. Some devout religious people refuse to call young men from their community.

After the exemptions ended, Israel’s highest court ordered the end of state subsidies for ultra-Orthodox military-age men studying at religious schools. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara decided at the end of March that the army was obliged to also call up this group. There were protests against this a few months ago (see video above).

Military service also for women
The army had recently warned of a lack of troops for the war in the Gaza Strip. In principle, men in Israel must complete three years of military service and women two years. Some ultra-Orthodox men serve voluntarily, and strictly religious women are also recruited only on a voluntary basis. The governing coalition had already disintegrated in 2018 due to the dispute over a corresponding law.