Israeli military to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox seminary students next week

The Israeli military will next week begin the process of drafting candidates from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, the military said on Tuesday.

The issue is especially sensitive amid the war against Hamas in Gaza and related fighting on other fronts that have caused the worst Israeli casualties in decades.

Israelis are bound by law to serve in the military from the age of 18 for 24-32 months. Members of Israel’s 21 per cent Arab minority and ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students have largely been exempt for decades.

In June, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the defence ministry must end that longstanding exemption for ultra-Orthodox seminary students, creating new political strains for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An Israeli military statement said that starting Sunday “the process of issuing initial summons orders for the first call-up” ahead of the upcoming July recruitment cycle would commence.

Minor clashes erupted on Tuesday between ultra-Orthodox protesters and police as dozens blocked a main Israeli highway but were quickly dispersed.

Netanyahu’s coalition includes two ultra-Orthodox parties that regard the exemptions as key to keep their constituents in religious seminaries and away from a melting-pot military that might test their conservative values.

The issue has prompted protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up 13 per cent of Israel’s ten million population – a figure expected to reach 19 per cent by 2035. Their refusal to serve in wars they generally support is a long festering schism in Israeli society.