Israel’s Netanyahu eyes new law to conscript Haredi Jews

JERUSALEM

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to establish a ministerial committee to draft an updated enlistment law for Ultra-Orthodox Jews, according to local media on Sunday.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an end to government subsidies to schools for ultra-Orthodox men eligible for army enlistment. The court gave the government until Monday to present a new plan, and until June 30 to pass it.

“Netanyahu is working with the National Security Council to form a ministerial committee to draft a conscription law to override the court ruling or at least create a feeling of some progress towards legislation,” Israeli Channel 12 said.

Netanyahu’s government includes parties supportive of Ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jews such as the Shas Party, which has 11 seats in the 120-seat Knesset (Israel's parliament), and United Torah Judaism Party (seven seats).

Most Jewish men in Israel are required to serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions while studying full time in religious seminaries.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, there are some 63,000 enrolled Ultra-Orthodox students who will be legally subject to the draft after April 1. Some 1,500 Haredi students currently receive funding for approximately 56,500 of those students.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, now in its 177th day, has ignited a debate on the enlistment of Ultra-Orthodox Jews in the military.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people.

Nearly 32,800 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 75,300 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which on Thursday asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.

​​​​​​​* Writing by Ikram Kouachi