Netanyahu of Israel declares he will allow ultra-Orthodox Jews to be conscripted

In response to political pressure that jeopardizes the future of his limited coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on February 29 that his government would find a method to remove the exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews from Israeli military duty. At a news conference, Mr. Netanyahu made reference to the Israel Defense Forces and stated, “We will determine goals for conscripting ultra-Orthodox people to the IDF and national civil service.” We’ll also decide how to carry out those objectives. A statute exempting ultra-Orthodox men from the draft was overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2018, citing the need for military service to be shared by all members of Israeli society.

Alongside far-right nationalist parties, ultra-Orthodox parties have helped Mr. Netanyahu maintain a slim legislative majority; but, in previous administrations, membership in the alliance has been contingent upon maintaining draft exemption. It seemed that Mr. Netanyahu was reacting to a promise made by his minister of defense to veto a bill that would have allowed exemptions to continue, barring an agreement between the government and ultra-Orthodox enlistment. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on February 28 that “we recognize and support those who dedicate their lives to studying Jewish holy scripture but, with that, there is no spiritual existence without physical existence.

Long-standing tensions between more secular Israelis and ultra-Orthodox Jews have been exacerbated by the nation’s expensive mobilization for the Gaza conflict. The ultra-Orthodox assert their right to attend seminaries rather than serving the required three years in uniform. Some express intellectual antagonism to the liberal state, while others claim that their devout lives would conflict with military norms. Due to their high birth rates, ultra-Orthodox Jews currently make approximately 13% of Israel’s population, but that percentage is predicted to rise to 19% by 2035. According to economists, some of them are needlessly kept in seminaries and away from the workforce by the draft exemption.