Israeli Parliament Approves Exemption Laws for Ultra-Orthodox Men

The Israeli parliament has passed laws effectively exempting ultra-Orthodox men from military service. This move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition aims to attract religious parties ahead of the autumn elections.

In a marathon session, legislators voted to suspend arrests of draft-evading ultra-Orthodox men and formally recognize Jewish religious studies as a foundational state value. These laws are significant concessions by Netanyahu’s Likud party to ultra-Orthodox politicians seeking formal exemption for their community from mandatory military service for most Jewish men and women in Israel.

The army faces severe manpower shortages, and many Israelis have grown weary of the long-standing system that allows ultra-Orthodox men to avoid enlistment. Annually, about 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but fewer than 10% enlist, according to a parliamentary committee.

The laws come after nearly three years of conflicts—from Gaza to Lebanon and Iran—and before the Knesset’s summer recess. Members will resume just days before the parliamentary elections on October 27, which will also serve as a referendum on Netanyahu’s wartime leadership.

Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, seeks support from ultra-Orthodox voters, known as Haredim, in the upcoming elections. Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, head of the religion and state program at the Israel Democracy Institute, notes that Netanyahu aims to ensure Haredi negotiations exclusively with him post-election.

Nonetheless, Netanyahu faces opposition, including from within his party and the army’s chief of staff, Ravitsky Tur-Paz adds. In a letter to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, military chief Eyal Zamir criticized the bills as incompatible with the army’s needs, according to local media reports.

Exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox date back to Israel’s founding in 1948, when a small number of students sought to revive Jewish studies after its decimation during the Holocaust. The Israeli Supreme Court later deemed these exemptions illegal. Experts claim the new law on Torah study, Judaism’s foundational text, provides the state with a legal basis to oppose the court’s opinions.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the law as sacrilege against God and disrespectful to Israeli soldiers. Ultra-Orthodox legislator Moshe Gafni, who sponsored the bill, called its passage historic. Gafni stated, “For thousands of years, Torah study preserved the Jewish people throughout its diaspora and generations.” He added that the law serves as a values compass for the state.

Reporter Melzer provided coverage from Nahariya, Israel.